Sentinel: Year One
by DoctorWithoutADegree
Summary: The Reach has been defeated and successfully driven away from Earth . But The Reach's schemes will have far more consequences than even they could have imagined. For one young man with a tragic past he will find himself thrown into a world he had only seen from afar. (Possible M rating for language later.)
1. Prologue

Prologue

Max snapped back up in his chair looking around making sure no one was around to catch him sleeping on the job. Taking a reluctant look at the clock he saw that it was only 3AM, four hours of work left...  
A long yawn and a reaching stretch drove away the last bit of drowsiness before straightening out his security uniform. He hoped the quick nap would last him the rest of the shift. The guard house was a bit stuffy which prompted Max to open one of the windows. Allowing him to view the community he was charged with watching over.

The gated community of Rook hills located on the California coast was a beautiful piece of property about four hours south from Star City. Complete with scenic beaches, a private country club, golf course, and around the clock security. Max always thought it was funny how he only needed to drive 20 minutes to get back home where shootouts, drug running, kidnappings and murder were a regular thing. But was more than happy to admit he was lucky he didn't have to deal with all that while on the clock.

The police force in Rook Hills is incredibly well funded to keep out anyone who didn't look like they belonged outside of the gates. The residents, which include movie stars, politicians and the like, still felt a need for private fences and a security force. The price for a house here was in the millions. They liked their privacy and paid very well for it.

For the most part you are treated well, and it's an easy going job while on the graveyard shift. But tonight was particularly slow and Max found himself nodding off. He usually brings something with him to pass the time; books, a DVD player, a small dumbbell. However Max felt none of those activities would do little to defeat his boredom.

He grabbed his smartphone out of his pocket and began checking his favorite news sites. The biggest topic of course was still the global catastrophe avoided thanks to the Justice League. It's only been a day since The Reach had shown its true intentions of attempting to enslave the population and tried to destroy the planet when that plan failed. Even more interesting was Lex Luthor being credited with providing the means to stop the Reach's world ending EMF devices. G. Gordon Godfrey then championed Luthor as the perfect replacement for the vacant U.N Secretary General position.

The conspiracy theory boards were on fire.

Max never really joined in on any of the conversations on there but he loved reading all the topics. Between the things that are too crazy to be believed, or someone's imagination going wild, the truth is somewhere in the middle. This is hard to say when there are beings out there that can push the moon out of orbit.

The topic of Luthor being a part of a secret order called "The Light" was still the hottest on the boards. The order was said to include several other prominent super villains. However one of the more disturbing rumors was that The Light helped bring earth to The Reach's attention in the first place. No one knows why The Light would join forces with a race that has the capability to enslave or destroy the earth. But everyone can't help but wonder how did Luthor create an anti-virus for a completely alien technology so quickly? The two must have been working together for some time until one betrayed the other.

Max soon had to come back to earth when he realized he had to make his early morning rounds. But that didn't stop him from trying to figure out all the angles while he was walking. It's probably why he loved reading the boards and news so often, it made him feel a part of that world. It wasn't hero worship; he grew out of that years ago. Max admired the ideals and the stand against injustice that he wished he could be a part of. It was their example that helped him through his darkest times...

"Ok maybe it is a bit of hero worship…"  
He said out loud to himself as he walked back to his guard booth. He often found himself talking out loud during the quieter parts of the night.  
A coping mechanism he developed from working the long lonely hours of a graveyard shift. Or maybe it was something he learned growing up as a lonely kid, getting picked on for being known as the smart kid who never fought back. Max shook his head trying to push back down those old memories. "Great... Made myself feel bad. I need something to punch."

Sitting back down in the booth he rubbed his eyes from underneath his glasses trying to get the last bit of sleep out of them. When he opened them his vision was still blurry for a moment even with his glasses on. Max let out an annoyed sigh realizing he needed another visit to the eye doctor. Horrible eyesight unfortunately ran in both sides of the family.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Today in Star City the top story is the heroic actions of Green Arrow and Black Canary. The pair stopped an incredibly ambitious armed robbery of the city's largest bank. Well known for its fortress like security the suspects attacked en force with explosives and the super criminal known as Doctor Polaris."

Max always thought it was strange super villains never attacked small towns or cities like his. It's not like his city didn't have banks. Payoff wouldn't be as big but you wouldn't get a Batarang thrown at you. Max's phone vibrated on his desk as the radio broadcast continued.

"Seemingly overwhelmed at first the heroes soon regrouped and subdued all suspects. In other news it's been two weeks since the justice league ended The Reach's plans for destroying the earth and candidates for the vacant position of..."

Max read the text out loud

"Pick up eggs, cat food and bacon"

To which he replied

"Are you gonna make an omelet with the cat food?"

Before he could put the phone down a reply came back

"Keep being a smart ass and that's what I'll make for you"

He couldn't contain his laughter and wrote back

"Love you too mom, see you when I get off shift"

He took a look at the clock seeing it was just past 6:45 am. Only five more minutes left in the shift. Although his coworker usually took his sweet time when getting to work. The Morning had a fierce bite today, it's usually cold but not like this. Luckily the guard house had a great heater and provided adequate warmth. Max pressed the button to open the mechanical gate for one its many prominent residents.

"Have a good day Mr. Dakar" Max waved to the doctor with a smile.

Mr. Dakar gave him a slight nod and drove past the gate. Then the loud rev of an engine and tires screeching could be heard approaching. As a red Honda accord that's seen better days flew past the gate before it could close. A slight tap of the brakes and the cranking of an emergency brake being pulled swung the car around the guard house and onto the curb. The driver side door opened with its handler stepping out

"Holy crap Phil you're actually early today" Max said nonchalantly as if he had seen that stunt a hundred times before.

"Maxwell Maldonado! Good morning!"

"I hate my full name..."

"Why? it just rolls off the tongue like an awesome super villain name. Like Lex Luthor"

Max chuckled, "so what got you up so early?"

Although the morning fog had blanketed the sun out Phil didn't bother to remove his sunglasses and adjusted them comfortably back in place, "Oh Yeah, I pulled an all-nighter playing the newest Blue Beetle game and I couldn't go back to sleep. It's so awesome man. Sinestro is tossing me around but I'm not giving up"

"Sinestro? That's kinda weird for a blue beetle game. "

"Yeah I know and he's being a real ass about it too"  
Phil reaches into his car pulling out a can taking a sip from it. Max adjusts his glasses squinting to see the label.  
"Oh man… You're still drinking that Reach stuff?"

"Oh yeah! You pour a couple of energy drinks into em' and it keeps me going all day."

"They tried to destroy the earth..."

"I know right? That's a part of the appeal!" Phil said with beaming enthusiasm

"I heard they're trying to make it illegal to even have those"

"Oh Dude, That'd make em' even cooler to have. C'mon man you use to drink these too when they first came out" Phil shook the can in front of Max's face.

"No" Max said in a serious tone

"I put 'ginger ale' in it"

"I said no"

Phil's eyes narrowed at him "When did you become such a wuss?"

"Dude! Quit peer pressuring me to drink the evil alien overlord juice!"

"Aw ew man, saying it like that makes it sound gross... More for me"

They both shared a laugh as Max turned to punch out on the computer.  
"Glad I have the weekend off"

"Yeah, lucky" Phil said with a slight sneer and clocked in. Phil Donovan was hired around the same time as Max and both are in their early twenties. Most of the other security guards were retired cops and military looking to stay occupied. It's probably why they got along so well along with their disposition to talk about all things superheroes.

Max collected his things and exited the guard house waving farewell to his co-worker. He wasted no time getting into his car and heading towards the "super" market. The logo for the store was of course the Superman shield. A large inflatable Superman stood outside that kids would take pictures with or tried to climb on. This use of his image was most likely done without the Man of Steel's consent but it wasn't likely he'd ever come to this part of the country.

"Welcome to San Gerardo, California" the sign read as he drove past it. San Gerardo was a smaller city with a population of about 600,000. It could be a nice city to live in if you knew which parts to avoid. Although now days it seems the bad parts of town were getting bigger. Even so, the sun always seemed to shine in the city. Today however it felt exceptionally warm and somehow rejuvenating. It wasn't hard finding a parking spot at 7:30 in the morning when the doors first open. Max sat back in his chair and took the opportunity to try to wind down.

While sitting in the car something strange started to occur as Max's vision began to focus at a painfully intense level. A powerful pressure moved from the sides of his head and then to the back of his eyes. He blinked a few times and removed his glasses to rub his eyes. When he finally opened them he could see everything with perfect vision. Unable to believe it at first, it soon passed and his eyesight returned to its normal 20/100. He slipped his glasses back on and was thankful for his eye doctor appointment later that day. Unsure what to make of this incident he quickly dismissed it. For now his biggest worry was getting the groceries and heading home to get a full morning's rest.


	3. Chapter 2

The drive back from the eye doctor was uneventful as the 5' o clock traffic dragged across the highway. The visit revealed that Max's eyes showed no signs of anything abnormal. Max tried to explain the recent experience with his vision but the doctor didn't have a solid answer. The doctor believed it might be eye strain from long hours at work and recommended that he take time off.

"Great... "He said with a sigh watching the traffic begin to move. His phone let off a tone signaling a new text message from Phil.

"Hey the new schedule came in, want to know your days?"

Max smiled and began typing when the traffic came to another full stop.

"No need, the doc called boss man and said I need a week and half off"

He sat back in the car taking a moment to look into each car. Often times he would wonder what each person had to go through each day. What they had to worry about or the kind of people they had to deal with every day. Before he got into any deeper thought his phone toned again.

"Well hell yeah! Thanks for the hours! This is gonna pay for a trip to Vegas! =)"

"Shut up, you're welcome"

"Hey don't feel bad we're gonna party later to celebrate you're crappy health! Better not start without me"

"Your*  
and The Drunk Tank wouldn't be the same without you Phil"

Traffic finally began to flow and Max was happy to be heading back home. Pulling up into the driveway and he took a look around the neighborhood noticing it was trash day today. It was truly an ideal suburb with friendly hard-working families and some of the greenest lawns you've ever seen. But the most appreciated aspect was the sense you were living in a safe environment.  
He turned the key to open the front door and his cat came to greet him. The cat looked up at him with an overly sympathetic face, complaining that his bowl was empty with loud meows.

"Hey kitty"  
The cat did not like any other name he tried to give him. "How'd the doctor visit go?" Max's mother yelled from the other room "Says I got eye strain or something, gave me a week and half off."

"Well.. Gravy train had to come to a stop sooner or later. No more six day work weeks for you"

"Gotten so used to working overtime I forgot what it's like to have time off" Max said with a small laugh as the cat continued to meow its discomfort.

"Don't let him fool you, I just fed him" the sound of her wheelchair entered the room before she did as she pushed herself into the room to greet her son. While blessed with less than perfect eyesight, aging well runs in her family. A dark-haired woman who still retained her striking looks well into her fifties.

"How was your day?" She said with a bright smile. He kneeled down and began scratching under kitty's chin listening to him purr. "Easy enough, the night was super quite. How did your physical therapy go?"

"Great actually... "She said with a bit of strain in her breath, indicating that the session wasn't easy. But she immediately spotted the worried look on Max's face and recovered with another bright smile. "They say that the last surgery was successful and I'm even regaining a little movement and feeling in my legs." Max stood up unable to contain his excitement "Really?! That's great! We should celebrate! C'mon I'll take you out to that seafood place you like!" Taken completely by surprise she waved her hands in disagreement "No! No! It's ok, I know you were looking forward to the salmon teriyaki recipe I found the other day"

"Ok that sounds awesome" Max said flashing the same smile he obviously inherited from her. She smiled back and made her way towards the kitchen. Max sighed and headed towards the living room falling into the couch. He knew better than to try to argue with her when it came to dealing with her disability. It was hard for a proud amateur kickboxing champion to admit any kind of defeat. Sitting up he yelled towards the kitchen, "How long you think it'll take to make?" A sudden urge to also ask if she needed help was quickly forgotten. "Oh about 40 minutes, why? Are you hungry now?"

"No, was just wondering if I had time to train. Thank you though"

He pushed himself off the couch and headed to the garage, catching the cat eating out of his half full bowl. He flipped on the light to reveal a rather spacious garage. A car sat on the far side with a large cover draped over it. His mother was very efficient with space which allowed Max a large workout area. Over the years he had acquired a heavy bag, speed bag, kettle bells and other equipment that would make any gym rat proud. He changed into the workout clothes he left hanging on the pull-up bar throwing his previous attire into a nearby hamper.

He turned on the radio and began his warm-up routine. An old favorite of his came on and Max began singing the song in his head but couldn't help singing the chorus out loud.  
"Please stand up, please stand up"  
After the song ended a news report soon followed,

"Top news today locally is the alarming increase of gang shootouts in the greater San Gerardo area. An in depth report states that the increase in violence is due to a takeover by a single gang trying to unify the criminal element under one leader. Reports are coming in that gangs are now operating in more areas despite heavy police presence. Police chief James Castillo promises an end to the 'gang war' and has requested assistance from other departments and even Federal Agencies."

As Max was finishing up his workout he wiped the sweat from his eyes and began staring at his reflection. A tall and imposing young man at 6'2" blessed with wide shoulders. At about 250lbs he felt he was in the best shape of his life. He moved closer to the mirror and removed his glasses. He inherited his body from the mother's side of his family. He kept his hair short but still somewhat wild; it was a shade of jet black that almost matched his deep brown eyes. But his face he inherited from his father. He's seen the pictures of him and there's no denying it. Max lost track of time while studying every feature of his own face. As he did an overwhelming feeling of sadness came over him, but he soon replaced it with anger.

He took a step back looking away from the mirror to gather himself. Taking a deep breath he looked back up seeing his reflection once again. Examining the deep cut abs and toned muscles. It took hard work and sacrificing a lot of social life to acquire and maintain the body he had now. Max then began flexing and admiring his own reflection.

"Yeah… Not bad for the chubby kid back in middle school"

He continued to flex in different poses checking out every muscle until he noticed his mother in the reflection. There was no attempt to recover his dignity as he simply turned around with a small sigh hoping to get past her without any further damage.

"You know you use to do that a lot when you were seven... how old are you now?"

"Twenty three..." He muttered. She smiled and gave him a playful backhand to his arm "Still just as adorable too." The rest of the walk towards the shower felt like he was dragging a dead body behind him.


	4. Chapter 3

It's been a few days since Max was given time off for his vision problem. There hasn't been any incident with it since then and he was relieved that the doctor might have been right about it being just work stress. But he couldn't deny that for a moment his eyes were able to zoom in on the dashboard and see every crack and crevice in it. And then be able to see perfectly for the first time without glasses since he was a kid. Today however was a chance to try and distract himself while fighting off a bit of cabin fever. He decided on taking a walk into downtown since it was another sunny day.

It was a few minutes past five and it was bustling with people fresh off the clock. Street vendors selling a diverse choice of wares and fresh delicious food. Almost everybody knew each other by their first name, including the police officers. Most of the cops on the force grew up in the city and looked out for everyone. Though there was a noticeable reduction in the number of officers out on patrol.

There was a rumor on the Internet boards that police chief Castillo initiated a huge Internal Affairs investigation. No one knows the exact number of officers who were terminated from duty. But Chief Castillo couldn't have chosen a worse time to reduce his ranks. Granted its more than likely those men he removed would have sold out their own partners. But people were scared and there weren't enough good officers to go around. An even worse rumor was that the recently terminated officers had joined the gangs and were giving them valuable inside information. This would explain how they were always one step ahead of the police. Chief Castillo's public request for aid from nearby departments and Federal Agencies has so far been met with no public response. The headlines were filled with the happenings of other larger cities.

All this thinking about the city's difficulties was stressing Max out. It's probably what gave him his problem in the first place. He promised himself to stay off the computer and the boards for the rest of the week. He knew spending too much time on there wasn't healthy. Adjusting his glasses he saw the sign for his comic book shop. Pushing open the door he was greeted by its owner Sam.

"Mr. Max. Good to see you! A couple of your comics came in today"  
A middle aged man in his mid-forties and greying hair. What stood out about him was that exceptionally tall man at 6'7". A true geek at heart he often became very emotional when it came to his heroes. Today was "The Flash Friday" and his favorite hero was decorated all over the store. Sometimes Phil would wear a Captain Cold shirt he made to get a reaction out of Sam. Max did a quick thumb-through his new comics "Sweet, any luck on getting those Flash Museum tickets?"

"No, it's easy enough to get them any other day! But a day when he'll actually be there? Forget it! I might have to do some things I'm not going to be proud of."

"Take Ms. Edna on her offer?"

Sam rolled his eyes "Yes..."

"I don't see the problem Sam, she seems to like you. And she's really nice."

"Oh you're just too young to know Max. I'm too set in my ways, she just wouldn't accept my lifestyle."

Max gave him a confused look, "she got you Flash tickets man..."

"Ah... Well played my young padawan..."

Max cleared his throat in an attempt to break the awkward silence in the room.

"Alright Max, I'll think about it. I'll do it for flash!"

"Right... For The Flash!" Max said with a laugh and paid for his comics. Max waved farewell exiting the shop and walked back to his car to drive home.

It was late in the day as the last bit of sun was disappearing over the hills. Kids were still playing outside while the street lights began to flicker on. One of the houses down the street had loud blaring music playing in the garage. Its residents were relatively new and were not very popular among the other neighbors. Arguments and constant traffic at strange hours of the night made everyone suspicious. Nothing could be proven so the police could only cite them for minor disturbances. A few cops lived on the block and kept a close eye on the house which made everyone feel a bit safer. Max grumbled under his breath as he walked towards the front door. His mom and he had paid a lot of money to get away from of that kind of trouble. He looked up to see his mother making her way towards him.

"Oh you're back. Did you have fun?"

"Huh? Oh yeah ate at my favorite burger place and got some new comics." Max's mother looked over towards the house with its obnoxious residents. "They're still playing that same song?"

"Hate that there's nothing we can really do" Max said under a harsh breath. Max's mother fixed her glasses in place "Apparently they paid in cash too" Max narrowed his eyes towards one of the men drinking a bottle of tequila while leaning up against a car "Also hate that everyone kind of knows... And we still can't do anything"

"Hey... Hey. Don't worry my son. People like that always get what's coming to them."

A screeching of tires cut through the neighborhood as a black SUV drove down the street past Max and his mother stopping in front the house down the street from them. Time seemed to stop and the loud music from the garage was the only thing that could be heard. The man who had been leaning against the car raised his arms aggressively up in the air before throwing the bottle of tequila at the vehicle shattering it across one of the doors. Its dark tinted windows slowly rolled down and a rhythm of machine gun fire filled the air. Max watched the man he was focusing on violently convulse in different directions from the impacting bullets. The children nearby ran into their homes screaming as Max tried to get a grip on the situation. The front door was too far with Mom in tow and ran towards her.  
The rest of the house's occupants had come out of the house to retaliate and crossfire had been established. "Get Down!"

Max grabbed his mother out of her chair just before a stray bullet struck the ground in front of her. He was able to make the dive towards the cover of his car with both of them and immediately covered her with his body. The exchange of gunfire continued until the last of the house's residents were no longer among the living. One of them tried to escape and was gunned downed in the middle of the street. The SUV peeled out of the street and a disturbing quiet came over the neighborhood.

Max slowly raised his head and looked around to see if any other danger remained. He looked down at his mother and saw nothing but a blank stare. "Mom! Hey!" She slowly came to and immediately embraced her son. "Oh My God! I thought... I saw..." He checked her for any wounds "Are you ok?!" A few tears began rolling down her cheeks "I can't… Yes I'm fine! Are you hurt?!"

"I'm fine. I'm just glad"

They both let out a sigh of absolute relief and hugged each other tightly. Max picked her up off the ground and carried her back to her wheelchair. She wiped a few tears from her eyes as the sound of sirens in the distance started to draw closer. "I just can't imagine losing you..." She said between a few heavy sobs. "I'm here, we're ok..." Max reassured her and embraced her again. He could hear her attempt to choke back her tears letting her cry into his shoulder. Max took a look around the neighborhood and realized he wasn't wearing his glasses. He had lost them in the chaos but noticed his vision was completely perfect. Blinking a few times he now could see almost everything in detailed sharpness. He waited for the moment when his vision would begin to blur but it never came. Looking around the neighborhood once again it was almost overwhelming. He had never seen the world like this without his glasses.

So much had transpired in such a short time and nothing was going to be answered anytime soon. For now he was grateful they were both safe. But it was tragically obvious that no place was safe from the violence.


	5. Chapter 4

The police had taped off the scene and the off duty officers who lived in the neighborhood were giving their recounts of what happened. It had only been a few hours since the shootout and everyone had come out to comfort each other. Never had anyone here thought that the violence would reach their neighborhood.

"Hey how are you guys holding up?"

Walking towards them was Officer Daniel Rogers, one of the first residents to welcome Max and his mother to the neighborhood. An older gentleman in his late fifties he was still in incredible shape and looked like he could still handle himself in a fight. A veteran of the Department and divorced father of two, he had lived a full life and it showed on his weary but stern face. Evidence that he's seen some of the worst the world has to offer. Even so there was a genuine kindness to him and kept a watchful eye on the neighborhood always managing to express a friendly smile and a kind greeting. Daniel lived by himself except for a retired K9 named Fred. Max didn't trust him at first but found that Daniel was someone he could count on as he grew up. Daniel later revealed that he had done a detailed background check on them before they moved in. His reason being that they were coming into a very close knit neighborhood. Other than that, Officer Rogers has never given Max a reason to distrust him in the years he's lived here.

"I'm glad none of you were hurt" Daniel said once more hoping to produce a response.

Max's eyes focused on the bullet hole in their walkway. Officer Rogers let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. He turned down his radio silencing the loud chatter coming through.  
"Is there anything I can do for you guys?"

"Sorry... Yeah... we're ok." Max said in a barely audible tone.

Max's mother grabbed ahold of Max's hand attempting to comfort him. She turned her attention towards officer Rogers.  
"Was anyone else hurt Daniel?"

"No... Luckily most of the gunfire was contained just to their house"

Max snapped out of his deep thoughts and moved a bit closer to whisper to him "so was it like we thought?"

"Yeah a huge drug stash in a hidden sub-level"

"Check the field out behind the house too. I would see a couple of guys head out there every night."

"Thanks Max, always appreciate that sharp mind of yours. Bet getting that degree was easy huh? I know your mom's proud" Daniel smiled attempting to ease some of the stress in the air. "Very" she said grinning proudly while embracing Max's hand. Max nodded back at him with a small smile "Thank you Mr. Rogers." Daniel smiled back at them "You've always been a smart kid Max. You still sure you don't want to join the department? I think you'd really be able to help"

"No I'm sorry. I couldn't do that to mom. It's pretty safe working at Rook Hills. Though... "Max turned his head to an ambulance as it loaded a gurney with a sheet draped over a body, "Seems like there isn't any place left that's safe." Daniel nodded reluctantly, "I understand. I'm sorry I know you wouldn't want to have your mom worry about you like that every night..." Max shook his head, "no it's ok, I understand why you asked." Everyone knew the Police forces numbers were shrinking every day. But people didn't like to talk about it. Or maybe it was more likely they didn't want to admit how much worse the city was getting.

Max took another look at the bullet hole in the walkway. His mother and officer Rogers began conversing in small talk but Max didn't hear a word of it. As he stared at the bullet hole his vision magnified the impact crater and he began to see individual fragments of the bullet. He blinked a few times and his vision began to see past the fragments and even through the concrete seeing the dirt underneath. His vision zoomed back out and he began seeing through the garage door, cataloging everything inside. His focus then moved to the car on the far side seeing through the cover.

A sudden rush of memories and emotion began to overcome Max forcing him to clench his free hand into a white knuckled fist. Max's mother noticed the change in her son's face and shook him gently to bring him out of his trance. He turned to her and nodded taking a deep breath. She looked back to Daniel, "thank you for checking up on us. It makes us feel better knowing you're looking out for everyone here"

"You're welcome Alice. You guys have been nothing but great to everyone here." Max nodded back to him, "Thank you, please take care of yourself out there"

"You too" Daniel said before bidding farewell.

Max and his mother headed inside into the house and she offered to cook them something. Max insisted on helping but she adamantly refused and told him to go unwind. Max was more relieved than anything to hear that as he headed to his room. There's something definitely wrong, or right, and he was going to take the time to figure out what exactly the hell was going on with him.

Max closed the door and took a moment to remember everything involving his vision. Times of stress or intense emotion seemed to be the trigger. He figured the first few times was just the condition emerging. So maybe if he was emotional it would trigger it again. He began recalling how he felt during the shootout… and it made him feel horrible having to relive it. Remembering the sense of helplessness and terror as a dispute between two groups erupted near his home. Giving no thought to who was caught in their battle. And the thought of one stray bullet that came so close to taking his mother from him. He shook his head and decided that wasn't how he wanted to go forward discovering his new abilities. He thought about it again and he remembered that they would activate when he would focus or concentrate hard enough. He looked to an adjacent wall on the other side of the room that lead into the living room. He narrowed his eyes and concentrated on the wall. He consciously wanted to see it closer and his vision magnified the wall. He could see the wall as if he was standing right in front of it. He focused a bit harder and began to see individual paint particles that were bonded to the wooden wall. He could feel himself straining to maintain his focus, so he relaxed and instead let his vision concentrate on a single paint particle.

Max could feel instead of forcing himself, it was better to try to see what he wanted with a relaxed will. Like throwing a punch with an incredibly tensed arm instead of letting it flow and snapping it at the end. Max learned to use a happy medium was the best way to access his new abilities. He was always a quick learner and it proved to be invaluable in this moment of his life. He blinked a few times and shook his head as his vision returned to normal. But now he was curious just how close he could see things. He picked a different spot on the wall and concentrated on zooming in. His vision moved a bit more quickly this time as he visited the microscopic world. With a bit of strain at first, he pushed deeper and began to see something... Dancing. He relaxed his focus once more and tried to let his vision move deeper on its own. As it did he realized that what were moving were atoms. He was actually witnessing the movement of atoms.

"Holy shit..." was the only thing that came to mind while watching the hypnotizing chaos of the atomic universe. He returned his vision to normal and wondered if instead of concentrating on seeing the atoms themselves, he focused on wanting to see past them. He magnified the wall to a point where he could still see it normally. He now focused on trying to see past it and soon the living room could be seen as if the wall wasn't there. Max walked towards to what seemed like a hole in the wall. He reached forward and placed a cautious hand on it. His hand met the wall, but he unintentionally began viewing the nerves, blood vessels, and bones in his arm. A bit alarmed at first, he clenched his hand and watched the muscle fibers flex and contract.

Max returned his focus to the living room and concentrated on the couch. He first tested if he could still see things microscopically while looking through the wall. While still reminding himself to stay relaxed and not force his abilities, he began to magnify the couch. Max began to see the different fibers woven together in the couch. He magnified it closer and began to see dust particles. He also saw the population of dust mites the couch contained which shocked him back into normal vision.

He shook his head trying to process what he just saw, admittedly finding it a little gross. One more test to see just how far he could push it. He focused on the wall again, easily seeing past it now that he was getting a better handle on his abilities. He saw the couch as if there was no wall between him once again. Noticing a scrambled section on the other side of the room Max attempted to see what exactly his vision wasn't allowing him to see. The outline of the object looked like the TV his mother had left on, however Max could only see it as a bright static. Maybe his abilities didn't allow him to see past electronics with high voltage? Switching his focus he then concentrated on seeing past the couch and it soon was nothing more than a faint outline. Viewing the wall of pictures behind it, he then focused past his mother's kickboxing championship belt that hung near his degree from Star City University and into the kitchen. He saw his mother take a long drag from a cigarette and blow the puff of smoke out an open door. She said she had given up smoking years ago but apparently had done a good job of hiding it. After what happened today he really didn't blame her. The timer went off on the oven and she put out the cigarette in her ash tray. Max watched her hide it under a low drawer that he never noticed before.

He let his vision return to normal and looked around his room to make sure everything else was normal. He checked his pulse on his wrist and found nothing out of the ordinary. He slapped down hard on his wrist and was met with an immediate stinging pain. Laughing to himself at the stupidity of the last action he couldn't help but smile.


	6. Chapter 5

"C'mon!" Max grunted as he jumped in the air."Alright... Just gotta stay calm... "He struck another pose with his fist in the air hoping it would help only to land quickly back on earth.

"Happy thoughts? Super willpower? How the hell does anyone even know how to do it in the first place?!" He said out loud with increasing frustration. Looking up at the roof he wondered if it was necessary to put himself in danger. Rationalizing that it was only a one story drop, Max grabbed the edge of the roof and pulled himself up. He walked to the edge looking down at the backyard. Luckily nearly everyone in the neighborhood was at work or school so he didn't need worry about witnesses. Even his mother had her friend take her out on a trip for the day. "Ok... Ok. Leap of faith... if this works it's gonna be really cool" he whispered to himself. Looking up at the midday sun he took a deep breath. Taking a few steps back and before he could think about not going through with it he ran forward jumping off the roof.

"Alright c'mon fly!"

With gravity still in full effect he could see the earth coming up to meet him. His training immediately took over and he landed in a forward roll to negate any serious impact. He took a moment to collect himself and dust off any pieces of the backyard. "Ok... So maybe not what I thought at first" he said to himself feeling his heart sink. Who didn't wish they could fly like Superman? Max thought only having microscopic vision, telescopic vision and x-ray vision was kind of lame. Though in the last few days the time off from work has given him the ability to further perfect using those powers. It didn't require nearly as much effort as before to use them. Max also began to access a thermal vision in his training. Discovering it while looking for the cat at night when he started hearing coyotes in the back fields. Max slid open the backdoor to the house and began reevaluating the usefulness of his powers. If given any sort of vantage point he could assess and have the drop on almost every situation. Though something with devastating offensive capabilities would give him an edge on everybody. His phone vibrated in his pocket interrupting his train of thought. Pulling out his phone he read the text from Phil, "Getting off work, I'm coming over to whoop that ass in Vikings!" Max texted his response, "I'm half Viking son, my ancestors pillaged the hell out of your people and the whooping of your ass will honor them"

"I'd take that bet if you weren't also half Asian. Predisposed to gaming until death and somehow metabolizing energy drinks into food."

"Hey if you're going to be racist at least get all of it right. The other half of my heritage are proud dentists, nurses, post officer workers, and the new lead singer for Journey" Max smiled and sat down on the couch turning on the TV.

"Hello Megan!" The TV exclaimed as the audience applauded and laughed. Mom must have been watching her old shows again. Max began flipping through the channels for quite some time looking for nothing in particular until he came upon good ol' Mr G. Gordon Godfrey mid-rant.

"And why aren't you more outraged at the fact that the 'justice' league still has an orbiting satellite above our heads?!" He exclaimed and held up a blurry amateur photo of the watchtower. "Oh I hear you my doubtful friends, 'The Justice League has done nothing but good for us and protected us'. Then why don't they rebuild the hall of justice and walk among us mortals down here on earth? No... That wouldn't suit them, they have to sit above the rest of us like a modern day Olympus!" He paused to take a dramatic breath. "Maybe I am being a bit irrational and letting my emotions get the better of me... But let's hear from someone who always has a clear and calm head on his shoulders"

The TV switched to a previously recorded message from Lex Luthor.  
"The Justice League was instrumental in stopping and eventually repelling The Reach. As well as The War World which was under Reach control. The space station they control has no armaments and is used only as a secure base of operations. The League has always fought for the good of humanity and for that I am thankful." The TV switched back to a devilishly grinning Godfrey "very wise words from a very wise man. Who I might add, gave the League the means to stop The Reach's plan to destroy earth! Indeed Lex Luthor sees the good in things where good ol G. Gordon Godfrey doesn't."  
Gordon leaned into the camera and placed his hand near the corner of his mouth as if he was telling a secret, "A trait I'd like to see in a U.N. secretary general if you don't mind me saying." He straightened his posture and flashed a smile "well! That's it for today folks! And remember that I'm always looking out for YOU!"

Max still wasn't sure if he should trust everything he said. He actually found his inflections and mannerisms hilarious but good ol Godfrey often had some truth to what he said. The online boards were spilt on their opinion of him. Half believed him to be a complete shill, furthering the agenda and propaganda of "The Light". The other half saw him as a guy asking all the right questions. But anybody who supported Lex Luthor couldn't be good news.

The doorbell rang and Max took the opportunity to use his x-ray vision to find Phil standing with a confetti popper in hand. Quickly realizing the golden opportunity he had. Max got up and activated one of the sprinklers out front nailing Phil right in the back. Watching him duck and dodge put a huge smile on Max's face and unable to contain his laughter. He shut off the sprinkler and tried to recompose himself before opening the door.

"Hey Phil, whoa what the hell happened to you?"

"Your stupid sprinklers turned on!"

"Haha! Yeah they do that around this time"

"Yeah whatever, just let me borrow a towel" Phil said in an annoyed tone and pulled the string to the popper but the water had soaked it all the way through and it only managed a pitiful snap.

"Happy crappy health Max"

Max laughed and lead Phil inside to clean up. He let Phil borrow one of his shirts and they headed to the living room to begin a game of "Vikings!".

"Hey where are your glasses? You wearing contacts?"

"Huh? Oh yeah... Thought I'd try em out while I waited for a new pair to be made. Turns out these are faster to make or something..."

The TV interrupted any further conversation, "Breaking news! San Gerardo police and SWAT teams are in a standoff with suspected gang members. Police have been stepping up their efforts since the Davis Street shootout. Suspects are believed to be heavily armed and extremely-"

Phil switched the TV input silencing the report and inserted a disc into the console.  
"Hey I came here so we could relax and laugh. Don't need to worry about that stuff right now"

Max didn't realize he had been holding his breath during the whole news broadcast.  
"Right... Thanks man"

"We're gonna go out later this week and get smashed" Phil stated while picking up his controller.

Max picked up the other spare controller "Maybe find a nice girl?"

"What? Hell no they didn't work for this money."


	7. Chapter 6

It was just past nine and Phil had gone home for the night. Max was grateful for his friend coming over and providing a much needed distraction. The hours of laughing and drinking helped to blow off a lot of steam. Max's mother had left a message that she and her friend took a surprise vacation out to the casinos. He had the house all to himself... and regretted that he didn't have any other friends. He turned the TV on and was greeted by a cooking show. It might have been the seven jack and cokes but a breakfast frittata sounded perfect. He had a good buzz going and decided to sink into the couch. The attractive host continued to talk about the different ingredients and how her family enjoyed a little drink of now and then.

"Waaayyyy ahead of you..." Max grabbed the bottle of Jack Daniels off the table taking a swig. As he placed the bottle back down Max could hear a dog barking across the street. The only one nearby was Officer Roger's dog, Fred. Max looked up at the clock seeing the short hand tick past nine. Looking out the window he could see Fred circling around in the front yard and Mr. Rogers's car nowhere to be found in the driveway. Max assumed that something important at the station was keeping him from home. He opened the front door and headed across the street. The cold nights in these suburbs could be very unforgiving. Max approached the front gate and Fred jumped up to greet him.

"Hey Fred you doing ok?" Max said as he petted his head. Fred let out an excited bark and started scratching the front gate. "Ok, ok calm down. Can spend the night with me til' he gets home" Max said smiling opening the gate. They headed back to Max's house with Fred excitedly circling around him. Kitty came to welcome them both home playfully pouncing on Fred and quickly hiding somewhere in the house for Fred to find him later. Fred had known Kitty since he was a kitten and they would play together when Mr. Rogers brought him over. "I don't really have dog food... Got a lot of cat food though if you want to eat that" Max said with a sheepish smile. 

Fred turned his head in confusion sitting on the kitchen floor. "Uh... Right sorry, let's see" Max began searching the refrigerator and found a pack of bologna. The TV began playing the intro to the local news as Max opened the pack placing a few slices on a paper plate. Max smiled and watched Fred quickly attack the bologna. Heading back into the living room he listened to the news cast. "Tragedy today... Two officers were killed in the line of duty." Max felt his heart sink and looked at Fred who was happily enjoying his dinner. "Officers Jamie Aldardo and Chen Anh Son were casualties in a shootout at the city's bank. Three other officers were injured and are in critical condition. Officers Greg Yoast, Daniel Rogers..." Max didn't even hear the rest of the broadcast as he stared at the TV in silence. Fred could sense something was wrong and came in to sit next to Max. Fred placed his head on Max's thigh as Max did his best to comfort him. Max was finally able to focus back on the rest of the news cast.

"Some of the suspects were killed in the shootout, but an explosive device was detonated allowing the rest to escape." The news anchor adjusted his tie and cleared his throat. He took a deep breath before beginning his next segment. "Unfortunately... It continues to be a difficult night for our city. I've just been notified of a robbery at a local comic book shop that happened not more than 10 minutes ago. Police are stretched thin as the city of San Gerardo tries to get a grasp on today's tragedies. "

Max pulled out his phone calling Sam. The phone began to ring, worrying him with each successful outgoing tone. Sam finally picked up his cell phone, "Max! They destroyed my shop! They took the money out of the register but they just wanted to destroy everything... I tried to stop them but they had guns." Max stood up gripping the phone tightly, "You're not hurt?! I'm glad you're ok"

"I know but Max I can't believe this happened. I just had to stand back and watch them destroy my store."

"Wait there! I'll be right over" he said hanging up the phone. Max looked to Fred who had been sitting in front of the TV staring at a picture of Officer Rogers on screen. "I know he'll be ok. Watch the house and kitty for me. Ok Fred?"

Fred wagged his tail a bit still staring at the TV. Max headed outside to his car but saw the house further down the street out of the corner of his eye. Max turned to fully face the house still taped off and with numerous chalk outlines in its front yard. Max looked down at the ground and tried to wrap his head around what was happening in his city. But it was obvious that it was only going to get worse.

Max made his decision and began walking towards Officer Rogers's house. He studied the outside for a few minutes before scanning it with his X-ray vision. The security for the house was very sophisticated, almost paranoid. High voltage wires crossed all through the house obscuring his vision a bit. There were hidden guns in every room and a beautiful collection of high tech equipment in the basement. However there was no way Max was getting in there. He then noticed wires leading out to a spot in the backyard. He began following them past the back gate and eventually found a hidden trapdoor underneath the large barbecue. Seeing past the tiles he found a large room stockpiled with enough supplies and weapons that would make a doomsday prepper blush. Seeing no security measures he decided to go through with it. Max slipped on a pair of latex gloves he keeps for work and pushed the barbecue aside. Gripping a loose edge he removed the large tile on top placing it aside. Grabbing ahold of the handle it took both hands to lift the heavy cover to the bunker.  
"What is this thing made of? Lead?" Max climbed down to the bunker flicking on the light switch. The room lit up and an impressive arsenal was his for the taking. He had already seen what he was looking for and headed for the locker. Max opened the large locker revealing a collection of every kind of holster, tactical vests, knee and elbow pads etc. But what he was really looking for was the cutting edge lightweight body armor. Max had heard about this material, manipulated at the microscopic level to give it superior protection while still maintaining its lightweight. Max could see the complex make-up of each fiber with his microscopic vision.

Max couldn't ignore the obvious question as he continued to acquire more items for his mission. How did officer Rogers collect all this? He was a veteran of the police force but this was brand new equipment. Max couldn't worry about that now as he began to suit up. Max decided on mobility and comfort over protection. With his powers he could plan and always be a step ahead of danger... Hopefully. Slipping on the slim body armor, knee and elbow pads he found that they were easily concealed under his normal clothes. Max stuffed everything else he needed into a duffle bag exiting the bunker making sure to put everything back into place before heading to his car. Max tore off the latex gloves disposing them into the trash.

Throwing the duffle bag into the trunk he started his car and headed out to Sam's shop. Max couldn't help but think that deciding to do all of this was absolutely crazy. It might have been the alcohol, or a realization that the city's situation was only going to get worse. But he wasn't going to sit back and let criminals take over his city.


	8. Chapter 7

The drive wasn't far and Max eventually pulled up into the parking garage across the street from the comic shop. After securing his car he walked towards the shop and was shocked at how much destruction it had actually suffered. Broken glass blanketed the sidewalks and the inside of the store. The display cases were destroyed; the prized memorabilia they protected were either smashed or ripped in half. Torn pages from numerous volumes looked like confetti after a parade. Max turned towards two officers who were discussing the situation. He couldn't help eavesdropping while searching for Sam.

"Looks like it was another initiation."

"Great, like we need more of those scumbags. They better hope I don't get ahold of them after what they did to Jamie and Chen... Good news is they didn't have a getaway car, they ran out on foot. They were armed so I'd rather wait til backup gets here..."

Sam ran towards Max who was distracted by the officers' conversation "Max!"

Max turned to him "Sam! You ok?"

"I'm fine but they destroyed my store"

Max sighed and revealed his recent discovery "Yeah... Just heard the cops say that they did it as an initiation ritual" Sam's eyes widened as his brows drew inward expressing his anger "Seriously?! Just to prove something to their criminal friends?!"

"I'm sorry Sam... But I'm glad you're ok" Max stated trying to comfort his friend. Sam hung his head low "I tried to stop them... But they had guns"

"You can't blame yourself. They'll get what's coming to them... Don't worry" Sam let out a doubtful sigh and seemed like he wanted to sink into the ground.  
"I know the cops are too busy with... With what happened today. I'm pretty low on the priority list" Max placed a hand on Sam's shoulder "Things are gonna change, I know it. These guys aren't going to bully our city for long" Sam nodded slightly and a small smile came across his face "what makes you so sure? Think we're getting some 'super' help?"

"Hey, it's in the name. Justice" Max turned to the store and began scanning for any evidence the police couldn't have possibly seen. "Hey Sam... How long ago did this happen?"

"About 20 minutes ago... Not too long. "

"How many were there?"

"Two... why do you ask?" Max moved closer to examine the trail of footprints that had trace amounts of glass in them. He looked back at Sam letting his vision return to normal, "I better get going Sam, I'm glad you're ok though"

"Oh Ok... Thanks for coming by Max. I'm just gonna hang here and clean up around a bit until the police leave. Can't go home until I do a little something to fix my store..."

"Call me if you need anything Sam" Sam nodded as he walked to the front of his store where it wasn't taped off picking up a few torn books. Max made his way back to his car opening the trunk. The garage was completely deserted save for a few other cars. Max had picked a blind spot from all the cameras and began suiting up.

Max secured a tactical vest over the new body armor he borrowed earlier attaching a flash bang, smoke grenades and tear gas to it before fastening a holster for throwing knives to his left leg. Lifting and bending his leg to make sure it wouldn't shift under stress. Max then spotted the gun he took from the armory. He knew having ideals was great, but things weren't going to be fair out there. There was nothing remarkable about it. A standard silenced 9mm pistol, 15 round clip capacity and reliable accuracy. But Max couldn't deny that it gave him a bad feeling holding it. He secured the gun in its holster and fastened the holster to his right leg. Packing two extra clips for it, Max took a deep breath trying to calm his nerves. He continued to take deep breaths while putting on the rest of the armor. Light but strong materials, they're made more for preventing injuries from the environment rather than combat protection.

Max pulled on a balaclava and a pair of red tinted googles over his eyes. He thought he looked a bit dorky but nobody was ever going to recognize him. The last piece was a standard Kevlar helmet. He took his time securing it in place as the thought of everything that could go wrong on this mission raced through his mind. Everything fit quite snug as Max twisted and turned feeling almost no hindrance in his movement. He continued to take deep breaths still trying to stem his nervousness. Closing his eyes he said a silent prayer to hopefully bring another small amount of peace. Max secured his car and climbed onto the ledge outside of the garage. It was a three story drop, but Max knew he needed to go through with the jump to prove to himself he was committed. He turned and hung off the ledge before dropping to the second story ledge and turning back towards a tree. Jumping from the ledge he grabbed the branch quickly swinging onto the top the concrete wall that ran the length of the street. Running along it he made his way back to the comic shop finding a dark corner to observe.

Downtown had a lot of places to hide, but the footprints the vandals left behind were easy to follow. Max followed the trail from the rooftops, traversing them with little effort. Vaulting over obstacles and clearing the gaps between buildings with a trained grace. Night was not a good time to be downtown, Each street was either deserted or filled with unsavory characters. The traces of glass in each shoeprint were becoming less and less but Max had memorized the patterns of their shoes by now. The cops were right about them not getting far as the trail led into a nearby abandoned auto shop.

Max immediately began scanning the run down building assessing everything inside. Max noticed a dark SUV in his scan but his attention was on the four men inside. Max focused on the room they were in and saw that they were celebrating, laughing and downing drinks. One of them was getting a tattoo on his neck and another looked to have one freshly done on his. Max recognized the markings as the symbol of the gang that was moving to take over the city. Each one was armed with a pistol but one of the back rooms had a stockpile of AK-47 assault rifles. Max's heart was racing now as the urge to run away was only getting stronger. Max took one last deep breath before moving forward and jumping down onto a fire escape. Climbing down and quickly making his way to the back of the building he approached the backdoor. He pulled out his lock picking tools quietly sliding them inside the lock. Max had practiced for years to pick a lock as fast as possible. But now with the ability to see through the doorknob, putting each tumbler in place was too easy.

Turning the knob he entered cautiously hoping to not make any noise. Luckily the radio was playing loud enough that there was some room for error. The DJ on air spoke with a slow smooth voice,  
"Tonight on the late night rumor mill, a couple of days ago a report of a costumed teen with a cybernetic arm helped capture two suspects involved in an armed robbery. The store owner had this to say 'I don't know who he is, but it's damn good to see someone helping out the cops here.' Me too Mr. Store owner... San Gerardo's been good to me, but she's going to need some help getting back on her feet"  
Max had made his way to the room where he could hear the gangsters boast about their latest crime spree through the door.

"You should have seen his face when I pulled it out!" 

Max saw that the door was unlocked and began to slowly turn the knob.

"I made him my little bitch" one of them said and they all laughed together.  
The door slowly pushed open as Max pulled the pin on the flashbang. One of the criminals took a swig from his bottle and pointed at one of the fresh recruits "Now if you boys want real recognition, you'll go back there and kill him. Fastest way to get recognized."

"Y-yeah? Ok you got it boss... We'll go back later!"

Max scanned the room one last time with his x-ray vision taking notes of each of their positions.

One of the criminals laughed "Yeah that mother fu-"

Max tossed the flashbang inside shutting the door before a deafening explosion filled the room and a bright flash could be seen underneath the gap of the door. A mix of chaos and obscenities could be heard as Max kicked open the door pulling out two throwing knives. Years of completely obsessive repetition came to use as each knife flew across the room and stuck into an arm simultaneously. Both targets fell to the ground clutching their injured limbs. The next two gangsters were close enough for Max to move forward and engage in close quarters.

While they were still blind and confused Max grabbed ahold of one of the criminals. Grabbing ahold of the back of the criminal's neck and another on his wrist, Max forced his arm straight up behind him making him lean forward. Using the momentum from him leaning forward Max drove his face mercilessly into the table while quickly wrenching his shoulder past its allowed rotation, dislocating it. He let out an intense shriek of pain before Max let him drop to floor. The last healthy gang member had begun to recover some of his senses and saw a dark blurry figure standing in front of him. He reached for the gun holstered in the waistband of his jeans.

The adrenaline of knowing that making just one mistake fueled Max's muscles and reactions. But it was something else that he had learned that gave him the power to do these things, Conviction. Max covered the distance necessary before the criminal could take any other action. Although the criminal finally struggled the gun free from his jeans. Max jammed it back into his pants with a powerful front kick. The force from the kick made the criminal pull the trigger. He let out an almost sympathetic scream as the heat from the gun firing inside his jeans and a bullet grazing his thigh made him collapse to the floor. Max followed up with a boot to his face knocking him unconscious. The other two were still recovering from the combination of the flashbang and a throwing knife in their arms. One of them tried to stand back up but was met with a powerful punch to his jaw putting him into an involuntary sleep.

Max wasn't quite sure what to do with the last criminal who seemed to simply be in a complete panic. By now the flashbang had worn off and he could begin to see clearly. Max was close enough to counter attack anything but was waiting to see what he would do first. The criminal was taking in short audible breaths while surveying the room, seeing all of his buddies in violent heaps on the floor and a tall imposing man in full military gear with red eyes. He glanced down at the knife stuck in his arm and looked back up at Max. He took one last deep breath and proceeded to faint. Max was immediately worried and scanned inside the criminal's chest. Relieved to see a steady heartbeat Max let out a sigh of relief. The sudden quiet allowed Max to look around the room and review his handiwork. He had done it, he had finally dealt a satisfying revenge on the type of people who had destroyed his life. The feeling of power over these criminals and accomplishing something so dangerous was an incredible sensation.

The criminal he had left conscious was still writhing on floor doing his best to comfort his shoulder and broken nose. Max walked over to him pulling the gun out of his holster before he grabbing the open bottle of alcohol on the table and pouring its contents on the criminal's fresh tattoo. Now that he had his attention Max could see the fear in the criminal's eyes. He pulled the gun slide back letting it snap forward with a loud click. He kneeled down and pressed the barrel on the criminal's forehead. Max had never felt so powerful in his life as he threatened this scum.

"You're not gonna talk and you're not going to move" Max said in a harsh whisper. This was no act, Max truly hated these parasites of society and channeled that energy into a voice that would haunt this man's dreams for as long as he lived. The criminal only managed short shallow breaths and stared at Max with beads of sweat dripping down his face. Watching those red eyes move closer to his face.

"As much as I love to add to the body count on my résumé, I was paid to only send a message. A new boss is coming into town to show you how things are going to work from now on. And you're all going to be my messengers. If I have to come back for you I'm taking a limb back with me"

Max stood back up giving a swift boot to the thug's head knocking him unconscious. Letting the sensation of holding someone's life in his hand pass. Max looked down at the gun making sure the safety was still on before holstering it. Max dug into the criminals pocket pulling out a cell phone. Luckily it was a flip phone. He zipped tied each of them before standing back up to grab the cell phone. He dialed for the police clearing his throat. "911 what's your emergency"

Max tried to clear any nerves out of his mind and spoke with a low raspy voice of to conceal any identity.  
"I have four men who were involved in the recent armed robbery in downtown"

"Ok sir... wait, you have them in custody?"

"I followed them from Adventure comics. The victim will be able to ID the suspects here"

"Sir are you by yourself?"

"I'd rather not say, but just know we're on the same side"

"Um Right, Ok sir... Do you require medical assistance?" There was escalating hints of doubt in the dispatcher's voice as the conversation went on. Max patted down his body searching for any wounds he could have missed as the adrenaline wore off, "Um... No I'm alright, but these four men do require medical attention"

"Sir, please give me your location and we will have officers and a medical team there shortly"

"My location..." Max began scanning around the room and eventually had to concentrate past the walls to see the street signs outside. Focusing on the run down sign out in front of the auto shop.  
"Is... on Wilcox inside the abandoned Ray's auto shop. All suspects are detained and the site is secure"

"Sir please stay on the line and could you give me your name?"

"Nope"

Max closed the phone throwing it to the side. "That was easy..." He mumbled sarcastically. Max scanned around the room once more and concentrated on the couch. He didn't notice at first but the entire lining was filled with drugs. Even if they couldn't match the sole imprints to the ones at the store they were all definitely going to do time for the drugs and guns in the back. Max looked into the garage he had seen before and noticed that the SUV inside had bullet holes, his curiosity overtaking any reason to leave the scene. Max headed towards the garage continuing to study the vehicle.

He pushed open the door and let his vision return to normal. He began going over every detail of the car. As he looked over the car his memory flashed back to him and his mother standing in front of their house. A dark SUV speeding past them and pulling up to the house down the street. Then the explosion of exchanging gun fire. His memory flashed to the bullet striking right in front of his mother. His memory then reached further back remembering his father...

The rush of all the combined emotions made him close his eyes and hold his head in anguish. All the sorrow, the deep pain and the feeling of being lost for so long. It all soon turned into a burning rage and he opened his eyes tearing off the goggles. The first thing his eyes focused on was the SUV.

Shouting a primal roar his eyes glowed an intense red as the dark room lit up with a beam of energy. The loud hum from the stream of energy took Max by complete surprise and he cut the SUV in half like it was butter. The beam then began to melt through the wall and floor. Max attempted to get his focus under control as the beam burned through the wall and began boiling the asphalt behind the building. Max began taking deep breaths and tried to concentrate on calming himself. The loud hum started to quiet and the beam receded back into Max's eyes. Max blinked a few times and attempted to analyze what had happened. The SUV was glowing red hot from where the beam contacted as molten metal dripped off the frame. Max looked behind the car seeing the blackened floor and melting concrete.

Max hurried out of the building taking care to avoid any street with people and climbed a fire escape to the roofs. He made his way back to the parking garage climbing from the outside as to avoid any security cameras. He scanned the area inside and finding no one else. Max quickly removed all of his equipment putting it into the duffle bag and dressed back in street clothes.

Max got into the driver seat of his car to catch his breath. He lost track of the time as he tried to process everything that had happened. Hearing sirens in the distance he decided it was time to go home. After starting the ignition he entered the nearly deserted streets and carefully drove home.


	9. Chapter 8

Max rolled around in his bed trying to go back to sleep. The birds outside were singing to each other, loudly. The thought of opening the blinds and testing his newly discovered heat vision on the poor creatures came to mind. His eyes then shot wide open realizing everything he did last night wasn't a dream. Max could hear his mother cooking breakfast in the kitchen, "Max! Get up! I got breakfast almost ready and you have to see today's news!" He pulled the covers over his head groaning. Unable to go back to sleep he threw the blanket to the side. Feeling his stomach growl he finally got out of bed taking a few moments to stretch before heading to the kitchen.

Max didn't have to worry about work for another week. His boss gave him time off to get settled after the shootout on his street. Max felt the timing couldn't be better as it gave him the opportunity to train more with his new abilities. Entering the kitchen the smell of a full breakfast put a smile on his face. Greeted by his mother at the stove, "Glad to see you're up. You and Phil left a mess last night in the living room..." Max gave her a confused look before remembering they did indeed drink last night. "Oh… Oh yeah. I'm sorry about that. I'll clean it up before breakfast"

"I already did" She replied with a stern look at first. She then smiled at him taking a few plates off the counter with one hand and rolling her wheelchair with the other. "It's ok, I'm just glad you two were having fun. He's a great friend to you" Max rubbed the back of his neck laughing "had me going there for a second. And yeah really thankful he came by to cheer me up. How'd you do at the casino by the way?"

"Me? Oh I did alright, came back with $600 this time" She said nonchalantly while placing silverware on the table. Max helped set a few of the serving plates before sitting down "Wow only $600? What did you spend it on?" She smiled with a small giggle, "a very nice pampering at the spa nearby. One of the girls was really cute too, I told her if she was in town to call you" Max paid no mind to her comment at first but then realized the silence meant she was serious, "You didn't..."

"All you do is go to work and workout, I hardly see you have fun. So I gave her your number. Showed her a picture of you from that time you were doing yard work with your shirt off." Max felt his face turn red as he placed a few pieces of sausage and waffles on his plate. Taking a place at the table he did his best to forget his mother's last statement. "Hey! She looked interested" His mother said with a laugh. "Besides you're in your twenties. Your prime! I want you to bring home a few one night stands." Only a look of complete shock could express the sheer amount of awkwardness he was feeling.

She laughed even louder this time, "I'm kidding! You should have seen your face! But she was interested." She tried to recompose herself from laughing so she could enjoy her breakfast. Max hung his head low and tried to continue his meal without further incident. "Oh come on, I'm serious. What mother doesn't want her good looking boy to find a nice girl? Just one you know, that I would like too."

"Yeah... I've brought home some doozies a couple of times." He said with a chuckle. "Hey don't feel bad about that. Those girls did make you feel special. And I was so happy to see someone appreciate the wonderful person you are. It's just that those girls before were selfish and immature. I know it was hard, but you grew from that."

He looked up nodding in agreement "Kind of funny how I'm attracted to the same kind of girl all the time, really needy and insecure." She smiled "So a strong independent woman then? I know! We'll see if we can't get you dating Wonder Woman."

"Now that's funny"

She looked back at him with a surprised expression, "what? Why not? It's not like those girls weren't attracted to you too. A young strapping man with money..." Max felt his face burn even hotter, "ok stop, you're really embarrassing me." She shot him a disapproving frown crossing her arms, "oh just let me compliment my son." He let out a joyful laugh and smiled at her. They enjoyed their breakfast without any further conversation. Max's mother reached behind her grabbing the newspaper. "Oh! Almost forgot, you have to see this." Max took the newspaper from her and read the headline. "Four suspected gang members apprehended. Illegal guns and drugs involved." Max looked up at her doing his best not to tip off any of his involvement, "Wow that's great! The police are taking care of these guys"

"No! Read what happened"

Max began scanning through the article for anything that stood out. It mentioned that the police found the suspects tied up and with minor injuries. Max did best to contain his laughter thinking it was funny that a knife in the arm was considered a "minor injury". However the article made no mention of Max's heat vision attack on the car or building, "Interesting right? Sounds like we got our own Batman running around our city. What police you know uses knives and ties up their victims?" Max nodded slightly "y-yeah! That's great news!" Max considered that the police kept it under wraps as to not cause a panic. The gangs we're bad enough, but now possible super criminals we're getting involved in the takeover. Max chose to spread the rumor that his actions were at the command of new criminals in the city so that it wouldn't force an escalation with the police. Since it was likely the gang that was attempting to take control would soon hire Metas of their own. Then attack innocents to draw out the new hero. Max hoped they would only focus their attacks other gangs.

Max decided he had to find out more and stood up. He took his plate to the sink washing it quickly.  
"Thank you mom, I'm just gonna relax today"

"Oh... Ok. Make sure you pick up your new glasses today"

"I will. Thank you" Making his way to his room he logged onto his computer. Navigating to the forum section on his favorite superhero site he began a new topic. The boards were always active so it wouldn't take long for a response.

"I live in San Gerardo, CA AMA/TMA"

Max clicked on the appropriate link to create the topic. As he waited for enough time to pass he looked outside his window. He noticed a wasp attempting to make its way past the window screen magnifying his vision so he could examine it closely. He began to easily track its movements while focusing harder. Still unsure of how to access his heat vision he at first let his mind think back to how angry he was in the garage. A flood of memories soon came with it and Max again had to remind himself that using emotion wasn't the way to go. Max stood up from his chair while still tracking the aggressive wasp. Opening the screen window he let it into his room. Max then let his mind wander on how to access his newest power. Closing his eyes he thought back to a lesson from his jiu-jitsu master about channeling his energy. Focusing it anywhere you needed it, being able to concentrate on manipulating your own energy mentally. In his younger days he thought it was just a metaphor for paying attention in training. But after years of hard training and sparring sessions he found that lesson had physical applications. Remembering the times he punched the guts out of numerous punching bags and numbing a sprained ankle during an amateur fight.

Max kept his eyes closed and attempted to focus his energy to his eyes not allowing the sound of the wasp distract him. Thinking back to the auto shop he remembered feeling the raw energy build up in his eyes when he saw the SUV and wanting nothing more than to see that car destroyed. His memory flashing back to his eyes focusing on the vehicle and letting his heat vision slice it in half.

He opened his eyes but held back the energy he was controlling, not letting it fully move to his eyes yet. Refocusing his vision on the aggressive wasp he could still feel the energy flowing inside his head. Tracking its movements once again he zoomed in on it. Concentrating on only letting a small amount of energy to his eyes he finally let it fire at the insect. A small tight stream of red light shot across the room impacting it. A small black smoke cloud replaced where the wasp had previously existed.

Letting himself relax he felt the energy dissipate from his eyes. He shook his head blinking a few times. Realizing what he had just achieved he couldn't help stop a huge smile come across his face. Max's imagination ran wild as to what his abilities were at full power. He decided for now to sit back down at the computer and refresh the webpage.

Looking at the first response he wasn't surprised.


	10. Chapter 9

Red Pornado: your town is a shithole.

ItsDuncanDude: wow man, I feel sorry for you. Your city is already the most downloaded mod map in every FPS game lol.

LuthorsBaldSpot : hate to be the bearer of worse news. But the government basically is waiting for the smoke to clear before they move in. Letting the gangs reduce their own numbers. They got Bigger cities to worry about, no offense. Get armed and if at all possible get out of the city

SandMan: Actually I hear Arsenal is in the city. Good guy, I just hope he isn't in over his head. I hear it's really bad there.

DirtyRicky: Who? Who's Arsenal?

Max decides to post a response.

DoctorCake: yeah... It's really bad here. My block was caught in a shootout. Luckily no one was hurt except the gangs. but a bullet hit near where my mom was. You think the league will step in soon?

Red Pornado: wow man... I had no idea. Sorry about what I said earlier, hope you and your mom stay safe. As for the league... Word is Klarion released a prison convoy in central city and its all hands on deck

BlackCanaryFan: oh please, Klarion again? You still believe that "thing" is real? Has anyone actually seen that guy?

HappyWhales: don't be stupid. Doctor Fate is real. There has to be something or someone on the opposite side just as powerful. You know?

BlackCanaryFan: ok yeah, a super magical boy with an evil magic cat? Real believable.

Red Pornado: ANYWAY... Yeah man, sorry. Looks like it's not going to get better anytime soon.

DoctorCake: thanks guys, were all doing our best to keep our heads down. Couple of my friends still got hurt yesterday... One is a Good cop too.

RonaldMcSteel: doesn't help that Chief Castillo axed a bunch of dirty cops off the force. Good riddance but they probably joined the gangs.

LuthorsBaldSpot: hey this one's just hit the news feed. Four criminals were taken down and tied up for police. Found a bunch of drugs and illegal guns, so they're going away for a while. Injuries included knives stuck in two of the suspects' arms, a self-inflicted gunshot on another, and a couple of broken noses. Also found was the use of a military flashbang.

SpeedsterSam: they weren't dead? Sounds like a hero to me. Arsenal whooped some butt. Which is great! Glad those scumbags got what they deserved. Bet you're glad to hear that too Doc!

LuthorsBaldSpot: yeah but that doesn't sound like Arsenal's calling card. He's more of a blow stuff up, lasers and arrows kind of guy. The report doesn't say anything about explosives or arrows. I can't help but think that this might be someone else or they're covering something up. I'm going to do some digging and be back later. Great news either way.

Reflection24: seems only natural. A city that chaotic would make anyone desperate enough to strike out on their own. I'm just glad whoever this new guy is doesn't seem like a psycho.

Max was interrupted by a text message tone from his phone. He stood up walking over to his dresser picking it up. 5 missed calls and 10 texts messages, all from Phil.

"Whoa... Ok. "Max called Phil back hearing it only rang once.

"Dude! I've been trying to reach you all morning. There's some major super-heroing going on in our town!" Max did his best to sound surprised, "what? No way! The League's here?!"

"What? No! What the hell have you been doing the last few hours?! It's everywhere! Police are obviously covering something up because they're taking credit but aren't giving a lot of details. If it was just a normal bust and arrest why won't they comment on all the weird circumstances? A reporter snuck in and said that he found evidence of energy weapons being used. Could be inter-gang is getting involved." Max looked down at the newspaper, "Covering what up? I don't know what you're talking about"

"Oh geez, just get on the Internet you caveman. I'm on the boards right now, the ones you say are full of conspiracy theorists and..."A few silent moments passed before Max felt the need to prompt a response, "Phil? You alright?"

"Max are you DoctorCake?"

"What?! No, you know I don't read that kind of... Yes, that's me" he said with a sigh. Phil quickly answered back, "dude! What's going on? What are you trying to hide? I mean Sam's name on here is obvious... But you know something... And you're trying to find out more." Max took a deep breath, "yeah... You're right. Look, I guess I've been dying to tell someone this. And I know I can trust you..."

"Says your join date was from five years ago..."

Max rubbed the back of his neck nervously "Yeah... Are you free?" Phil took a moment to answer "No, but if it's important..."

"Meet me at the junkyard"

"ok... See you there in a couple of minutes." Max could hear the uneasiness in Phil's voice. Hanging up, Max quickly dressed and headed out to his car. He told his mom he was going to meet Phil at the arcade. It was a short drive to the old junkyard as Max did a scan of the area. To his relief he found Phil was the only person in it. Pulling up next to him and stepping out of the car he saw that Phil had a worried look on his face, "So... Was it you?" Max looked down unable to answer his friend.

Phil let out a disapproving sigh, "look, I know you told me what you've been through. But you promised me that you wouldn't do this to your mom. When you were out flying around training you said there wasn't space for anything else in your life. I don't even need to tell you the reasons why you shouldn't be doing this in the first place! And where did you get an energy weapon from?!" Max only managed a small nod still unable to lift his head from the weight of his guilt. Phil paced back and forth a few times before continuing, "Look, yeah we dream and talk about doing what you did. But that life isn't for us. And I know you got the skills, but all it takes is one mistake." Max looked up at him, "Those bastards almost killed my mother. And they talked about going back and killing Sam before I stopped them. Look it's different now."

Phil softened his tone as he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Different how? These people are killers. I don't mean to say that what happened to your mom wasn't terrible. But you're just one guy. Maybe you just got really lucky this time." Max took a step back, "I guess now's a good time... I've been dying to show somebody this." Phil gave Max a confused look while taking a step back himself. Max found a lone junked car nearby and squared his shoulders to it. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath to concentrate, centering his mind on the sole task of gathering destructive energy. Wanting to use more energy this time he opened his eyes and unleashed it on the vehicle. The beam emitted a loud screech through the air before making contact with the car. Max began slicing through the car as Phil let out an audible gasp falling backwards onto the ground.

Wanting to test his powers further Max concentrated on widening the field of energy. It obeyed his command and it soon enveloped the vehicle completely. The car melted almost instantly into a puddle of molten steel before Phil stood back up yelling, "Max! Stop! You're going to lose control!" Max relaxed his concentration letting the beam recede back into his eyes. He turned to Phil taking a deep breath and flashed a cocky smirk. "Damn, you were really worried there for a second" Max said with a laugh.

Phil stood up and dusted off any dirt on his clothes. He took a moment to look at the glowing molten puddle before looking back at Max. "I mean... What the fu-I mean when?!" Max shrugged scratching the back of his head, "I'm not too sure of the how or why... But I've been working on using these powers since my vision went 20/20 a couple of weeks ago. As time went on I've been discovering new types of vision. I mean I can see the stash of porn dvds you got hidden under the passenger seat. And it's how I saw you yesterday through the door so I could turn on the sprinklers" Phil stood silently with his mouth open. But was soon able to pull himself together, "whoa... Hey i sell those to... people. But hey, what about flight? Super strength and stuff?!"

Max shook his head, "no... So far it doesn't look like I have any of that. I even tried jumping off the roof." Phil raised an eyebrow expressing his confusion, "So... You're just a regular muscle head with twenty kinds of super vision?" Max responded with a laugh, "yeah that about sums it up"

"So... X-ray? Microscopic? Telescopic?"

"And thermal vision, I could recon an entire area from high enough vantage point."

Phil shook his head placing a palm on his forehead, "wow... Dude... That is so awesome! I'm actually really jealous, but still awesome!" He said laughing.

"Yeah... I know. It felt good to take down those thugs." Max turned to a large pile of junked cars taking another deep breath. Phil took a few steps back seeing the energy build up in Max's eyes. "So... What are you planning to do next?" Max targeted his vision on the large junk pile letting the energy build up in his eyes momentarily. Instead of unleashing it in a solid beam, he focused the energy into a single shot. Releasing it all on a car stacked in the middle. The thunderous sound of the shot impacting shocked both of them. An explosion of shredded steel and shrapnel flew outwards from them. Each car that wasn't caught in the blast was tossed onto opposite sides of the junkyard by the resulting force.

Phil walked towards his friend slowly, "how did you... How did you do that?" Max stood staring at his latest accomplishment, "I'm not sure really... It's like two parts. One part is focusing on what I want to do, and the other is kind of willing it into happening. It feels like... A mental armory, I choose which ability I want to use and concentrate."

Phil nodded while taking another look at the now cooling molten pile from before. "Wow... I wanna do that." Max laughed placing a hand on Phil's shoulder, "soon as I figure out how I got my powers you'll be first in line dude." Phil smiled as they started walking back to their cars, "nice... But no sidekick crap. I'm probably gonna get super powers that's gonna be a lot more bitchin' than yours. And hey, you didn't answer my question. What are going to do next?" Max stopped walking mid-step and gazed down at the scar that ran along on his right forearm. "I'm going to burn every place they have until they have nowhere else to hide... And I mean... I just want everyone to feel safe in their own city again too."

"Max... I know I don't have the skills you do. Or the powers. But you got my help if you need anything. Use my apartment as a secret base and stuff"

Max smiled as they began walking again, "Thanks Phil."

"No problem man" Phil stopped mid-step. "Hey, have you came up with a name yet?"

"Huh? Well I'm not into this to make a name. Besides I doubt i could come up with anything original."

"What? You suck man... You gotta have a superhero name! Well I know what I'm doing later as my first act your new partner." Max sighed but couldn't hold back laughing any longer as his friend continued to rant.

"What does your costume even look like?!"


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 11

"Coming in loud and clear?"

"Crystal" Max answered back with a bit of annoyance in his voice. He attempted to adjust the earpiece inside his ear once again hoping to find a comfortable position for it. He found it easier to adjust to the fact that he recently found out that his long time neighbor and city police officer Daniel Rogers is a retired CIA super spy. Max tried to get him to talk about his career but was politely shut down and told, "That life is behind me, but I don't regret a moment of it". However it's not too farfetched to think that he was a serious player at one point and it was hard to get rid of old habits. Daniel had a massive armory with cutting edge technology. Why would he even have those things? Max wondered if he was still involved with doing "side jobs". Heeding his advice Max dropped the subject and began to divulge his recent pastime in life after gaining his new abilities.

While most retired agents stayed within the government as consultants or moved on to private sectors. Mr. Rogers choose to move to a quiet town and raise his family with a policeman's salary. His retirement had played out almost as he imagined it, until now.  
Max was completely caught off guard when Mr. Rogers stated that he approved of what Max was doing and offered to lend a hand from his bunker. It wasn't as if he had a choice of saying no but he couldn't think of a reason why not to accept his help. It also eased his mind a bit knowing he had someone watching over him. The night was going smoothly so far until Max could no longer stand the feel of high tech electronics in his ear canal. Daniel could hear the feedback from the receiver moving around, "Stop playing with it, you'll get used to it"

Max snickered under his breath hoping the radio wouldn't pick up his outburst of slight immaturity. Daniel cleared his throat feeling embarrassed for the both of them.  
Max shook his head smiling and refocused his attention on the mission at hand. The rooftop Max had picked was adjacent to an apartment complex in the worst part of town. The part of town where simply wearing the wrong colored shirt would get you killed. The street light hanging over Max had burnt out years ago and nobody could be paid enough to come out and fix it. The earpiece interrupted his train of thought, "are you on the scene? What's it look like outside" Max kneeled down behind the cover of the roof not wanting to take any chances, "Right, I'm at the site. They got the windows boarded up and three vans outside. There's also a very expensive car way above any normal drug dealers pay grade. You think it's a buyer or a high level lieutenant in the gang?"

"Give me the license plate"

Max scanned and magnified the license plate quickly reporting it back to Daniel, "Kill3rRojo." As he waited for Daniel to report back he continued to scan the area finding the surrounding area nearly deserted, "It comes back to a Rojo Fernandez, did time for possession but is suspected for doing a lot worse. It's likely he is a big player."

"Sure isn't subtle about it" Max adjusted his vision and began scanning through the five floors with the most activity. They were in a hurry and the man in charge obviously wasn't happy. His spiked red hair and gaudy jewelry making him stick out in the crowd of workers in the labs. Max couldn't quite read his lips since he was moving around too much and watched him take a needle from one of the boxes. It was filled with a glowing bright green liquid. Max had heard rumors of venom before but had never seen it himself. The withdrawals from the super steroid were said to be life threatening. Rojo pressed on the syringe's plunger releasing a single droplet of venom into a line of cocaine. Quickly moving to snorting the line he then stood up straight as his entire body seemed to flex and tighten while the combination of drugs rushed through him.  
"I got six guys inside but only three are armed including Rojo. Just took a dose of… something and can't sit still for a second."

"Try out the laser directional mic and listen in, nervous guys like that always talk about how important they are." Max pulled out the various parts for the microphone from his cargo pouches and found it fairly easy to assemble. Switching it on he pointed it towards the room and joined in mid coke fueled rant. "Hurry up! I need the shipment now! It's going out tonight! Do I need to show how crazy I can get?!" He pulled the pistol from his waistband shoving it in the face of one of the workers.  
"He said there's a shipment going out tonight. And there's a huge stockpile sitting in the corner ready to go."

"I heard, the mic feeds back right to me" Daniel paused to analyze the recent information and his usually stoic gruff voice had a hint of worry in it, "It's not in the vans yet? I don't like this, if he's in such a hurry why aren't they loading it? I'll make a call to the station and tell them to suit up to take them down. Let them handle this and do not get involved. Am I clear?" Max sat down leaning against the low wall of the roof "Can I be honest for a second and say that you're taking the fun out of this gig"

Daniel didn't want to dignify Max's sarcasm and simply let the silence be his answer. Max learned to develop a dark sense of humor while on these life or death missions. Or maybe it was just evolved from the coping mechanism he developed as a lonely kid growing up who constantly got into fights after being teased for having a dead father and a crippled mother. He had to find a humor in anything or he probably would have gone mad. Max turned around to scan the building once more out of boredom but was interrupted by a loud engine rev in the distance. The car sped towards the apartment complex stopping abruptly in front of it. The driver stepped out and made his way to the rear door opening it. A few obscenities were shouted as a young girl was violently yanked out of the car. Grabbing ahold of her the man pushed and dragged her upstairs to the labs as she screamed for help.

"Max what's going on?"

"I-I don't know, some guy just pulled up and dragged a girl up into the labs"

"I just made the call they should be there in 10 minutes, is she ok?"

"I don't know, give me a sec" Max adjusted his vision to see past the walls. The girl's captor threw her to the floor in front of Rojo. Max pointed the microphone towards them fighting the instinct to jump right in to save her. He had to follow Mr. Rogers' orders or risk being exposed by him.

Rojo paced back and forth around her before pulling the slide back on his pistol. "I'm so glad I get to do this, say hi to your snitching punk ass brother for me"

Max stood up but was quickly stopped by a loud ringing in his ear from Daniel, "DO NOT GET INVOLVED!"

"They're gonna kill her!"

"You don't know what the situation is! You could be putting yourself at risk for nothing! She could just be a junkie. I'm sorry but this is how things go sometimes."

"But I can stop them!"

Max's fists were clenched so tightly the plastic grip on the directional mic began to crack. Max could feel it in his gut that this girl didn't deserve to die. The mic picked up one of the criminals talking, "Yeah real shame nobody's gonna have a chance to pop that cherry of hers." Rojo turned to his henchman and then back to her as an evil tooth filled grin came across his face. "Oh yeah, that's right. Your brother the piece of shit junkie and you with the perfect attendance at church. That's right... " Rojo handed his pistol to his subordinate grabbing the girl's arm. "Get the Hell away from me!" She screamed as she struggled to free herself while he began dragging her to another room. Max's eyes burned bright red with destructive energy as he dropped the mic leaping off the roof, "Max! Max! This is not how we are going to do things!"

Max pulled out the earpiece throwing it to the ground and swiftly made his way up the five stories without touching a single stair by climbing the outside railings on the staircase. He moved quietly into position next to the front door before scanning the room once more planning his attack on each criminal. Firing through the wall he cut through with an intense solid beam aiming for everyone in the room. Anybody hit was met with excruciating pain that would soon leave them incapacitated for quite some time. Taking care to avoid any of the combustible lab ingredients with his heat vision. Two of the criminals were able to find cover before they were hit. Max kicked the front door of its hinges and quickly disabled the remaining criminals with a concussive blast. Each beam hitting its target with pinpoint precision knocking them unconscious.

"What the f*%k is going on?!" Rojo stepped out of the back room and saw his underlings laid out on the floor. Looking towards Max he saw his eyes began to glow. Rojo had quicker reflexes than Max expected as he grabbed a pistol off the nearby table. "&^*# you!" Rojo Fired a shot at Max's head which he dodged with a trained instinct and took cover behind a table as Rojo continued to send rounds at him. Max turned towards the table and used his x-ray vision to see through the tables. Max would usually burn through them to take him down but each cabinet was filled with explosive or dangerous chemicals. "It is you isn't it?! The pain in the ass that's been taking out our operations and costing us a lot of money. I can't believe it! But you know what, I'm gonna cut those eyes out and put them on necklace"

Max grunted in disagreement as a smirk stretched across his face. The drugs in his system no doubt made Rojo feel invincible. Max knew exactly how he was going to take him out and waited for the opportunity to present itself. Rojo sent a few more rounds over Max's head before moving out from behind his cover. The sound of an empty pistol clip hit the floor with a heavy thud as he reached for a fresh one. Max took the chance and rolled out from behind the table his eyes glowing intensely. "One in the chamber bitch" He stated while aiming the gun at Max's head.

"I know" he built enough energy to melt the gun barrel and warp the shape of the gun almost instantly. Before the criminal could fire off the shot the pistol was a piece of red hot iron. The extreme temperature had the added of effect of setting off the round inside. With no exit for the primer or bullet the gun exploded in his hand. Rojo shrieked in pain falling to the floor clutching his crippled hand.

Max made his way over to him and before the piece of scum could give him any more empty threats and connected a boot to his head mid-sentence. Max surveyed the room and made sure everyone was incapacitated before opening the door to the back room. Entering cautiously he looked down at the girl who was sitting down clutching her knees to her chest in a tight ball. Her head was placed between her knees, her long dark hair draping over her legs. Unsure of how to approach the terrified girl without further scaring her he stood in the doorway. "Are you... Are you ok? Please don't be afraid I'm here to get you out here"

She slowly raised her head her eyes still watering. Max's heart sank as he couldn't help but feel horrible for what the girl had just been through. Luckily it looks as if he stopped the criminal before he could do anything. "You... killed the guys out there?" She said with a shaken voice. Max snapped back a bit caught off guard. It was his intention to make it look like he was trying to kill these criminals. But no one has ever actually accused him to his face of doing it. He raised his hands in surrender shaking his head.  
"No, no. I don't or didn't kill anybody. I promise." She blinked a few times before raising her eyebrows together unsure if she should believe him, "I uh... I just try to make it look like that so they don't try to go after innocent people to get to me." Max wasn't sure why he was being so honest but he was hoping that telling the truth would help her trust him.

She sat silently for a moment staring at him. If it wasn't for the balaclava he was wearing she would have been able to see him blush. She was definitely one of the prettiest girls he's ever seen. A girl next door kind of look to her but she was also incredibly cute. Bright hazel brown eyes complimented natural sun kissed skin and long straight black hair stopping just past her shoulders. Max looked away to a vacant corner unable to handle the girl's intense looking over of him. It was that moment of adorable shyness that made her realize he wasn't a criminal. Wiping away the last bit of tears from her eyes she smiled at him, "Thank you... For saving me."

Looking back to her he smiled back from underneath the mask. She stared deeply into his eyes, since it was about the only part of Max that wasn't covered. As if she was trying to learn everything she could about him through that small window. Max forced out a small cough blushing even brighter as he moved towards her. "Um... C'mon, let's get you out of here."

"Yes, thank you." She began to stand up but quickly sat back down covering herself. "wait, I can't I'm sorry"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Max then realized her shirt was torn. It revealed quite a bit of her upper body but she was more likely embarrassed from not having any pants. "Oh.. Right.."  
He looked over the room and found her jeans thrown in the corner. Grabbing them he handed the jeans to her and turned around to give her some privacy. He stood waiting quietly, hearing her slipping on her clothes. He pulled his shirt over his head revealing the bulletproof vest underneath and reached behind to hand her it. "What? No it's ok. I'll be ok"

"It's cold out, and I don't mind." He said still looking away from her. She smiled at him taking the shirt and pulling it on. He turned around with his back still to the door. She flipped her hair out from under the large fitting shirt. "My name is Juliana by the way"

"I... Don't really have a name" he replied sheepishly.  
She smiled brightly at him and kneeled down to adjust her shoes on. Looking back up she couldn't help but notice his large well-toned arms peeking out from the vest. It was now her turn to blush and look away. However she noticed someone moving behind him. Max noticed the change in her expression, "what? What's wrong?"

"Oh my god watch out!" A shot rang out from a pistol hitting Max dead center in his back.

"Aaahh!" Another shot rang out hitting his shoulder blade forcing him to spin before another shot sped across the room grazing his left arm. He slammed against the wall losing his balance as he gripped his wounded arm falling to the floor. He looked to the source of the gunfire and found Rojo pointing an unsteady gun at him from the ground with his left hand. Luckily he was still groggy from being knocked out earlier and couldn't get a clean shot but it was clear that the drugs in his system were what was giving him his strength.

Max immediately fired a concussive blast from his eyes at the gun knocking it out of his hand. Making sure as not to permanently damage him, he hit Rojo with a low intensity concussive blast in his chest hoping to knock the wind out of him. The small orbs of energy shot across the room impacting Max's target. It had the unforeseen effect of knocking Rojo backwards into a table putting him into unconsciousness once again. "This is all my fault I'm sorry!" Juliana rushed to Max's side checking her savior for any mortal wounds. "Ah.. Don't talk like that. Wasn't counting on a drug addict waking up so fast." She looked completely at a loss for words as she watched him try to catch his breath while holding his bleeding arm. He was joking? At a time like this? Max saw the concern on her face and did his best to smile from beneath the mask. His expression soon changed as he grimaced in pain while trying to stand back up. "That sure wasn't a small caliber" he sat back down hoping he would recover soon.

She placed her hand over his helping him to stay the flow of blood from his arm. She found herself staring into those deep dark brown eyes of his once again. Somehow she could see that he was a person who had been through incredible sadness and had always been alone with it.  
Realizing they were still in possible danger she slipped his other arm over her shoulder standing up. They both stood up slowly as he let out a few grunts of discomfort. She was having a bit of trouble helping him since he was a rather large framed young man. She could feel the firm toned muscles against her with each step they took making her blush.

Suddenly the sound of numerous cars speeding towards the complex and stopping out front could be heard. Max adjusted his vision to see outside and prayed it was the police. To his dismay he saw more than twenty heavily armed gangsters making their way towards them. He looked to Juliana making her stop mid-step, she looked back and seemed to know what was going on as well. "Get down, and if there's a chance make a run for it." Her eyes widened and tears began to form in her eyes. Never in her life had she met someone like him or anyone who would be willing to sacrifice themselves like this. He removed his arm from over her and moved towards the front entrance. Max found it difficult to focus after taking numerous shots from such a large caliber handgun and the small amount of blood loss. He decided that if he was going to die he would use his powers to their full extent to take as many of them with him. His eyes glowed intensely with the sound of numerous heavy footsteps drawing closer up the stairs.

Before the group could make their way to the door an arrow struck in front of the lead thug releasing a smoke screen. The thugs were disoriented and coughing as the sound of a high powered laser cut through the air destroying the bottom half of the staircase. Taking half the group with it and burying them in the concrete rubble. The other half began making their way upstairs towards the lab. Max took cover and began observing the situation with his x-ray vision. He attempted to find the source of the attacks but couldn't find anything in the immediate area.

More arrows flew through the air disarming many of the criminals of their guns. Several criminals were hit by an arrow that released bright red foam which enveloped and immobilized them after it hardened. A slim young man in a black and red outfit with very short bright red hair swung in on from a line towards the remaining criminals who were still standing. Taking one of them out with the initial swing as he planted his boots into the chest of the criminal sending him flying into a wall. He seamlessly drew his crossbow up in mid-air and shot an arrow at a group rushing towards him. The arrow impacted in front of them and released a gas cloud that instantly put them to sleep. Only one was left to fight as the teen ducked under his wild punch and countered with an uppercut with his cybernetic arm which made a metallic clang when steel met bone.

He took a moment to admire his work before turning around. Quickly deducing that the precise scorch marks and incapacitated criminals he knew that the guy he was looking for was here, "Come on out, I don't want to have to look for you." Max found his voice strangely deep for a guy who didn't even look like he was in his twenties. Max then stood up grunting in pain as he held his arm feeling the fresh blood. He was then met with a crossbow pointing at his chest and could see the teen's eyes narrow towards him.

The teen had ice in his veins, there was no indication that he wouldn't pull the trigger, "Word is you've been taking out the competition so whoever you're working for can move in. You haven't killed anybody... Yet. So don't think I won't take it easy on you. I'm putting a stop to the drug game in this city and all the killing." Max tried to raise his arms in surrender hoping it would ease the situation. "Wait... Let me explain"

The teen's finger started to squeeze the trigger "I don't think so." Juliana stepped out from behind the table moving in front of Max, "wait please! He's not a criminal! He saved me from them!" His face shifted in surprise as he raised his crossbow towards the ceiling to point it away from her.

"He... You guys are on the same side. He told me he only spread that rumor so that they wouldn't go after innocents to get to him. I was kidnapped because I threatened to turn them in for selling near the church" Max's breathing was becoming a bit more labored as he placed a hand on Juliana to move her behind him. "Ok... I'm gonna pretend for a bit I believe you. But my gut is telling me you guys are telling the truth." He holstered his crossbow and started walking towards them. Juliana let out a relived sigh, "thank you... Please can you help him?"

He reached into a pocket on his suit and pulled out a small spray can. He shook it a few times before pointing it at the bullet wound, "First aid foam, clots and disinfects." Max moved his hand for him to spray the area. A small yellow substance covered the bloodied area as Max gritted his teeth from the sharp sensation. Juliana looked at the young teen while he was assisting Max, "who are you?"

"Arsenal"

Max looked down at him as he was wrapping the bandage around his arm. Juliana kneeled down to make eye contact with him smiling.  
"Thank you Arsenal..."

"What about him? He got a name?" Arsenal asked after he finished applying the bandage. Juliana looked at Max and then back to Arsenal shaking her head, "um.. He didn't really say yet."

"Never needed one" Max rotated his arm feeling no real discomfort. The more discomforting pain now came from the deep bruises he no doubt has from the bullet impacts. Arsenal raised an eyebrow, "That's kind of lame." Juliana giggled softly as Arsenal looked outside through one of the holes Max had made with his heat vision earlier. Police sirens could be heard closing in on them. "Cops will take care of these guys, let's get you guys someplace safe." Max's gaze met Juliana's, "We need to get her home first, then we can head to my partner's bunker. He's a cop who wants to do something about all this too, we can trust him"

Arsenal turned and made his way toward the door pulling out his crossbow. "Your call big guy"  
He fired a bolt into the ceiling securing the first pin before firing a second bolt to a lower adjacent rooftop. He secured the first handle before turning around. "You ok to carry her with you?" Max nodded as he straightened his posture to mask any serious injury. Juliana placed a hand on one of the bullet marks on his vest, "are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah let's go, and... Thank you Arsenal"

Arsenal flashed a smirk before securing a second handle on the zip line, "I'm not saying i completely trust you, but if i'm wrong about you. you're in the right business with those powers." Grabbing the handle he sped down the line towards the other roof.  
Max grabbed the second handle with his right hand as Juliana wrapped her arms around his neck. He felt his face heat up as her body pressed against his. He could feel her face moving closer to his, "I don't know if I could ever thank you enough"

Getting the feeling she wanted to see what's under his mask he gripped the handle tightly. Leaping over the railing with her he felt her grip even tighter onto his body as they sped down the zip line.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Coming in loud and clear?"

"Crystal" Max answered back with a bit of annoyance in his voice. He attempted to adjust the earpiece inside his ear once again hoping to find a comfortable position for it. He found it easier to adjust to the fact that he recently found out that his long time neighbor and city police officer Daniel Rogers is a retired CIA super spy. Max tried to get him to talk about his career but was politely shut down and told, "That life is behind me, but I don't regret a moment of it". However it's not too farfetched to think that he was a serious player at one point and it was hard to get rid of old habits. Daniel had a massive armory with cutting edge technology. Why would he even have those things? Max wondered if he was still involved with doing "side jobs". Heeding his advice Max dropped the subject and began to divulge his recent pastime in life after gaining his new abilities.

While most retired agents stayed within the government as consultants or moved on to private sectors. Mr. Rogers choose to move to a quiet town and raise his family with a policeman's salary. His retirement had played out almost as he imagined it, until now.  
Max was completely caught off guard when Mr. Rogers stated that he approved of what Max was doing and offered to lend a hand from his bunker. It wasn't as if he had a choice of saying no but he couldn't think of a reason why not to accept his help. It also eased his mind a bit knowing he had someone watching over him. The night was going smoothly so far until Max could no longer stand the feel of high tech electronics in his ear canal. Daniel could hear the feedback from the receiver moving around, "Stop playing with it, you'll get used to it"

Max snickered under his breath hoping the radio wouldn't pick up his outburst of slight immaturity. Daniel cleared his throat feeling embarrassed for the both of them.  
Max shook his head smiling and refocused his attention on the mission at hand. The rooftop Max had picked was adjacent to an apartment complex in the worst part of town. The part of town where simply wearing the wrong colored shirt would get you killed. The street light hanging over Max had burnt out years ago and nobody could be paid enough to come out and fix it. The earpiece interrupted his train of thought, "are you on the scene? What's it look like outside" Max kneeled down behind the cover of the roof not wanting to take any chances, "Right, I'm at the site. They got the windows boarded up and three vans outside. There's also a very expensive car way above any normal drug dealers pay grade. You think it's a buyer or a high level lieutenant in the gang?"

"Give me the license plate"

Max scanned and magnified the license plate quickly reporting it back to Daniel, "Kill3rRojo." As he waited for Daniel to report back he continued to scan the area finding the surrounding area nearly deserted, "It comes back to a Rojo Fernandez, did time for possession but is suspected for doing a lot worse. It's likely he is a big player."

"Sure isn't subtle about it" Max adjusted his vision and began scanning through the five floors with the most activity. They were in a hurry and the man in charge obviously wasn't happy. His spiked red hair and gaudy jewelry making him stick out in the crowd of workers in the labs. Max couldn't quite read his lips since he was moving around too much and watched him take a needle from one of the boxes. It was filled with a glowing bright green liquid. Max had heard rumors of venom before but had never seen it himself. The withdrawals from the super steroid were said to be life threatening. Rojo pressed on the syringe's plunger releasing a single droplet of venom into a line of cocaine. Quickly moving to snorting the line he then stood up straight as his entire body seemed to flex and tighten while the combination of drugs rushed through him.  
"I got six guys inside but only three are armed including Rojo. Just took a dose of… something and can't sit still for a second."

"Try out the laser directional mic and listen in, nervous guys like that always talk about how important they are." Max pulled out the various parts for the microphone from his cargo pouches and found it fairly easy to assemble. Switching it on he pointed it towards the room and joined in mid coke fueled rant. "Hurry up! I need the shipment now! It's going out tonight! Do I need to show how crazy I can get?!" He pulled the pistol from his waistband shoving it in the face of one of the workers.  
"He said there's a shipment going out tonight. And there's a huge stockpile sitting in the corner ready to go."

"I heard, the mic feeds back right to me" Daniel paused to analyze the recent information and his usually stoic gruff voice had a hint of worry in it, "It's not in the vans yet? I don't like this, if he's in such a hurry why aren't they loading it? I'll make a call to the station and tell them to suit up to take them down. Let them handle this and do not get involved. Am I clear?" Max sat down leaning against the low wall of the roof "Can I be honest for a second and say that you're taking the fun out of this gig"

Daniel didn't want to dignify Max's sarcasm and simply let the silence be his answer. Max learned to develop a dark sense of humor while on these life or death missions. Or maybe it was just evolved from the coping mechanism he developed as a lonely kid growing up who constantly got into fights after being teased for having a dead father and a crippled mother. He had to find a humor in anything or he probably would have gone mad. Max turned around to scan the building once more out of boredom but was interrupted by a loud engine rev in the distance. The car sped towards the apartment complex stopping abruptly in front of it. The driver stepped out and made his way to the rear door opening it. A few obscenities were shouted as a young girl was violently yanked out of the car. Grabbing ahold of her the man pushed and dragged her upstairs to the labs as she screamed for help.

"Max what's going on?"

"I-I don't know, some guy just pulled up and dragged a girl up into the labs"

"I just made the call they should be there in 10 minutes, is she ok?"

"I don't know, give me a sec" Max adjusted his vision to see past the walls. The girl's captor threw her to the floor in front of Rojo. Max pointed the microphone towards them fighting the instinct to jump right in to save her. He had to follow Mr. Rogers' orders or risk being exposed by him.

Rojo paced back and forth around her before pulling the slide back on his pistol. "I'm so glad I get to do this, say hi to your snitching punk ass brother for me"

Max stood up but was quickly stopped by a loud ringing in his ear from Daniel, "DO NOT GET INVOLVED!"

"They're gonna kill her!"

"You don't know what the situation is! You could be putting yourself at risk for nothing! She could just be a junkie. I'm sorry but this is how things go sometimes."

"But I can stop them!"

Max's fists were clenched so tightly the plastic grip on the directional mic began to crack. Max could feel it in his gut that this girl didn't deserve to die. The mic picked up one of the criminals talking, "Yeah real shame nobody's gonna have a chance to pop that cherry of hers." Rojo turned to his henchman and then back to her as an evil tooth filled grin came across his face. "Oh yeah, that's right. Your brother the piece of shit junkie and you with the perfect attendance at church. That's right... " Rojo handed his pistol to his subordinate grabbing the girl's arm. "Get the Hell away from me!" She screamed as she struggled to free herself while he began dragging her to another room. Max's eyes burned bright red with destructive energy as he dropped the mic leaping off the roof, "Max! Max! This is not how we are going to do things!"

Max pulled out the earpiece throwing it to the ground and swiftly made his way up the five stories without touching a single stair by climbing the outside railings on the staircase. He moved quietly into position next to the front door before scanning the room once more planning his attack on each criminal. Firing through the wall he cut through with an intense solid beam aiming for everyone in the room. Anybody hit was met with excruciating pain that would soon leave them incapacitated for quite some time. Taking care to avoid any of the combustible lab ingredients with his heat vision. Two of the criminals were able to find cover before they were hit. Max kicked the front door of its hinges and quickly disabled the remaining criminals with a concussive blast. Each beam hitting its target with pinpoint precision knocking them unconscious.

"What the f*%k is going on?!" Rojo stepped out of the back room and saw his underlings laid out on the floor. Looking towards Max he saw his eyes began to glow. Rojo had quicker reflexes than Max expected as he grabbed a pistol off the nearby table. "&^*# you!" Rojo Fired a shot at Max's head which he dodged with a trained instinct and took cover behind a table as Rojo continued to send rounds at him. Max turned towards the table and used his x-ray vision to see through the tables. Max would usually burn through them to take him down but each cabinet was filled with explosive or dangerous chemicals. "It is you isn't it?! The pain in the ass that's been taking out our operations and costing us a lot of money. I can't believe it! But you know what, I'm gonna cut those eyes out and put them on necklace"

Max grunted in disagreement as a smirk stretched across his face. The drugs in his system no doubt made Rojo feel invincible. Max knew exactly how he was going to take him out and waited for the opportunity to present itself. Rojo sent a few more rounds over Max's head before moving out from behind his cover. The sound of an empty pistol clip hit the floor with a heavy thud as he reached for a fresh one. Max took the chance and rolled out from behind the table his eyes glowing intensely. "One in the chamber bitch" He stated while aiming the gun at Max's head.

"I know" he built enough energy to melt the gun barrel and warp the shape of the gun almost instantly. Before the criminal could fire off the shot the pistol was a piece of red hot iron. The extreme temperature had the added of effect of setting off the round inside. With no exit for the primer or bullet the gun exploded in his hand. Rojo shrieked in pain falling to the floor clutching his crippled hand.

Max made his way over to him and before the piece of scum could give him any more empty threats and connected a boot to his head mid-sentence. Max surveyed the room and made sure everyone was incapacitated before opening the door to the back room. Entering cautiously he looked down at the girl who was sitting down clutching her knees to her chest in a tight ball. Her head was placed between her knees, her long dark hair draping over her legs. Unsure of how to approach the terrified girl without further scaring her he stood in the doorway. "Are you... Are you ok? Please don't be afraid I'm here to get you out here"

She slowly raised her head her eyes still watering. Max's heart sank as he couldn't help but feel horrible for what the girl had just been through. Luckily it looks as if he stopped the criminal before he could do anything. "You... killed the guys out there?" She said with a shaken voice. Max snapped back a bit caught off guard. It was his intention to make it look like he was trying to kill these criminals. But no one has ever actually accused him to his face of doing it. He raised his hands in surrender shaking his head.  
"No, no. I don't or didn't kill anybody. I promise." She blinked a few times before raising her eyebrows together unsure if she should believe him, "I uh... I just try to make it look like that so they don't try to go after innocent people to get to me." Max wasn't sure why he was being so honest but he was hoping that telling the truth would help her trust him.

She sat silently for a moment staring at him. If it wasn't for the balaclava he was wearing she would have been able to see him blush. She was definitely one of the prettiest girls he's ever seen. A girl next door kind of look to her but she was also incredibly cute. Bright hazel brown eyes complimented natural sun kissed skin and long straight black hair stopping just past her shoulders. Max looked away to a vacant corner unable to handle the girl's intense looking over of him. It was that moment of adorable shyness that made her realize he wasn't a criminal. Wiping away the last bit of tears from her eyes she smiled at him, "Thank you... For saving me."

Looking back to her he smiled back from underneath the mask. She stared deeply into his eyes, since it was about the only part of Max that wasn't covered. As if she was trying to learn everything she could about him through that small window. Max forced out a small cough blushing even brighter as he moved towards her. "Um... C'mon, let's get you out of here."

"Yes, thank you." She began to stand up but quickly sat back down covering herself. "wait, I can't I'm sorry"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Max then realized her shirt was torn. It revealed quite a bit of her upper body but she was more likely embarrassed from not having any pants. "Oh.. Right.."  
He looked over the room and found her jeans thrown in the corner. Grabbing them he handed the jeans to her and turned around to give her some privacy. He stood waiting quietly, hearing her slipping on her clothes. He pulled his shirt over his head revealing the bulletproof vest underneath and reached behind to hand her it. "What? No it's ok. I'll be ok"

"It's cold out, and I don't mind." He said still looking away from her. She smiled at him taking the shirt and pulling it on. He turned around with his back still to the door. She flipped her hair out from under the large fitting shirt. "My name is Juliana by the way"

"I... Don't really have a name" he replied sheepishly.  
She smiled brightly at him and kneeled down to adjust her shoes on. Looking back up she couldn't help but notice his large well-toned arms peeking out from the vest. It was now her turn to blush and look away. However she noticed someone moving behind him. Max noticed the change in her expression, "what? What's wrong?"

"Oh my god watch out!" A shot rang out from a pistol hitting Max dead center in his back.

"Aaahh!" Another shot rang out hitting his shoulder blade forcing him to spin before another shot sped across the room grazing his left arm. He slammed against the wall losing his balance as he gripped his wounded arm falling to the floor. He looked to the source of the gunfire and found Rojo pointing an unsteady gun at him from the ground with his left hand. Luckily he was still groggy from being knocked out earlier and couldn't get a clean shot but it was clear that the drugs in his system were what was giving him his strength.

Max immediately fired a concussive blast from his eyes at the gun knocking it out of his hand. Making sure as not to permanently damage him, he hit Rojo with a low intensity concussive blast in his chest hoping to knock the wind out of him. The small orbs of energy shot across the room impacting Max's target. It had the unforeseen effect of knocking Rojo backwards into a table putting him into unconsciousness once again. "This is all my fault I'm sorry!" Juliana rushed to Max's side checking her savior for any mortal wounds. "Ah.. Don't talk like that. Wasn't counting on a drug addict waking up so fast." She looked completely at a loss for words as she watched him try to catch his breath while holding his bleeding arm. He was joking? At a time like this? Max saw the concern on her face and did his best to smile from beneath the mask. His expression soon changed as he grimaced in pain while trying to stand back up. "That sure wasn't a small caliber" he sat back down hoping he would recover soon.

She placed her hand over his helping him to stay the flow of blood from his arm. She found herself staring into those deep dark brown eyes of his once again. Somehow she could see that he was a person who had been through incredible sadness and had always been alone with it.  
Realizing they were still in possible danger she slipped his other arm over her shoulder standing up. They both stood up slowly as he let out a few grunts of discomfort. She was having a bit of trouble helping him since he was a rather large framed young man. She could feel the firm toned muscles against her with each step they took making her blush.

Suddenly the sound of numerous cars speeding towards the complex and stopping out front could be heard. Max adjusted his vision to see outside and prayed it was the police. To his dismay he saw more than twenty heavily armed gangsters making their way towards them. He looked to Juliana making her stop mid-step, she looked back and seemed to know what was going on as well. "Get down, and if there's a chance make a run for it." Her eyes widened and tears began to form in her eyes. Never in her life had she met someone like him or anyone who would be willing to sacrifice themselves like this. He removed his arm from over her and moved towards the front entrance. Max found it difficult to focus after taking numerous shots from such a large caliber handgun and the small amount of blood loss. He decided that if he was going to die he would use his powers to their full extent to take as many of them with him. His eyes glowed intensely with the sound of numerous heavy footsteps drawing closer up the stairs.

Before the group could make their way to the door an arrow struck in front of the lead thug releasing a smoke screen. The thugs were disoriented and coughing as the sound of a high powered laser cut through the air destroying the bottom half of the staircase. Taking half the group with it and burying them in the concrete rubble. The other half began making their way upstairs towards the lab. Max took cover and began observing the situation with his x-ray vision. He attempted to find the source of the attacks but couldn't find anything in the immediate area.

More arrows flew through the air disarming many of the criminals of their guns. Several criminals were hit by an arrow that released bright red foam which enveloped and immobilized them after it hardened. A slim young man in a black and red outfit with very short bright red hair swung in on from a line towards the remaining criminals who were still standing. Taking one of them out with the initial swing as he planted his boots into the chest of the criminal sending him flying into a wall. He seamlessly drew his crossbow up in mid-air and shot an arrow at a group rushing towards him. The arrow impacted in front of them and released a gas cloud that instantly put them to sleep. Only one was left to fight as the teen ducked under his wild punch and countered with an uppercut with his cybernetic arm which made a metallic clang when steel met bone.

He took a moment to admire his work before turning around. Quickly deducing that the precise scorch marks and incapacitated criminals he knew that the guy he was looking for was here, "Come on out, I don't want to have to look for you." Max found his voice strangely deep for a guy who didn't even look like he was in his twenties. Max then stood up grunting in pain as he held his arm feeling the fresh blood. He was then met with a crossbow pointing at his chest and could see the teen's eyes narrow towards him.

The teen had ice in his veins, there was no indication that he wouldn't pull the trigger, "Word is you've been taking out the competition so whoever you're working for can move in. You haven't killed anybody... Yet. So don't think I won't take it easy on you. I'm putting a stop to the drug game in this city and all the killing." Max tried to raise his arms in surrender hoping it would ease the situation. "Wait... Let me explain"

The teen's finger started to squeeze the trigger "I don't think so." Juliana stepped out from behind the table moving in front of Max, "wait please! He's not a criminal! He saved me from them!" His face shifted in surprise as he raised his crossbow towards the ceiling to point it away from her.

"He... You guys are on the same side. He told me he only spread that rumor so that they wouldn't go after innocents to get to him. I was kidnapped because I threatened to turn them in for selling near the church" Max's breathing was becoming a bit more labored as he placed a hand on Juliana to move her behind him. "Ok... I'm gonna pretend for a bit I believe you. But my gut is telling me you guys are telling the truth." He holstered his crossbow and started walking towards them. Juliana let out a relived sigh, "thank you... Please can you help him?"

He reached into a pocket on his suit and pulled out a small spray can. He shook it a few times before pointing it at the bullet wound, "First aid foam, clots and disinfects." Max moved his hand for him to spray the area. A small yellow substance covered the bloodied area as Max gritted his teeth from the sharp sensation. Juliana looked at the young teen while he was assisting Max, "who are you?"

"Arsenal"

Max looked down at him as he was wrapping the bandage around his arm. Juliana kneeled down to make eye contact with him smiling.  
"Thank you Arsenal..."

"What about him? He got a name?" Arsenal asked after he finished applying the bandage. Juliana looked at Max and then back to Arsenal shaking her head, "um.. He didn't really say yet."

"Never needed one" Max rotated his arm feeling no real discomfort. The more discomforting pain now came from the deep bruises he no doubt has from the bullet impacts. Arsenal raised an eyebrow, "That's kind of lame." Juliana giggled softly as Arsenal looked outside through one of the holes Max had made with his heat vision earlier. Police sirens could be heard closing in on them. "Cops will take care of these guys, let's get you guys someplace safe." Max's gaze met Juliana's, "We need to get her home first, then we can head to my partner's bunker. He's a cop who wants to do something about all this too, we can trust him"

Arsenal turned and made his way toward the door pulling out his crossbow. "Your call big guy"  
He fired a bolt into the ceiling securing the first pin before firing a second bolt to a lower adjacent rooftop. He secured the first handle before turning around. "You ok to carry her with you?" Max nodded as he straightened his posture to mask any serious injury. Juliana placed a hand on one of the bullet marks on his vest, "are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah let's go, and... Thank you Arsenal"

Arsenal flashed a smirk before securing a second handle on the zip line, "I'm glad I was wrong about you, you're in the right business with those powers." Grabbing the handle he sped down the line towards the other roof.  
Max grabbed the second handle with his right hand as Juliana wrapped her arms around his neck. He felt his face heat up as her body pressed against his. He could feel her face moving closer to his, "I don't know if I could ever thank you enough"

Getting the feeling she wanted to see what's under his mask he gripped the handle tightly. Leaping over the railing with her he felt her grip even tighter onto his body as they sped down the zip line.


End file.
